Yesterday news broke that Newcastle had made a bid of a structured deal that would take James Maddison from Leicester to Tyneside which would be worth around £40m. That bid was instantly rejected by the Foxes.
Today journalists are claiming that Newcastle will be going back in with an improved offer, albeit one that may still be less than what Leicester are holding out for.
Ben Jacobs has tweeted that he expects Newcastle to be going in for another bid, however, later tweeted that Chelsea are circling Wesley Fofana and the East Midlands club will be unlikely to let both players leave, if either.
Newcastle’s priority remains James Maddison right now. Club considering a higher bid. #LCFC still hopeful of getting Maddison to sign an extension. Told he’s intrigued by #NUFC link but clubs close to £20m apart in valuation.
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 31, 2022
Meanwhile, Jacque Talbot has claimed that the reason the Maddison story made it to the media is that it was leaked by Leicester in a bid to show their fans that they are digging their heels in and trying to keep Maddison at the club.
Maddison was leaked by the Midlands side cos LCFC wanted their fans to know they're digging their heels in. Newcastle didn't want it out there. So I guess think on that. Could back in again. I think two more, names that will improve the side as well
— Jacque Talbot (@jac_talbot) July 30, 2022
With six days until Newcastle’s season gets underway, it is getting to a point where we may have to swallow our pride and actually cough up an asking price for forward players. James Maddison is 25 and on the fringe of the England set up having earned one cap already. £60m is about the going rate for a player of his quality, especially when you add on the England tax and the Newcastle tax.
Should We Just Go Ahead And Pay £60m For Maddison?
Yes. Get him signed.
No. Keep negotiating.
Although at this point, even if we were to sign Maddison as early as tomorrow, it’s unlikely he will be thrown into the starting eleven on Saturday. Howe already has a selection headache after some impressive pre-season performances from the likes of Almiron, Willock and Elliot Anderson, and we know how he likes to give players a bit of time to settle before playing as he did with Guimaraes.
THINK YOU KNOW NEWCASTLE UNITED? TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH OUR QUIZ