If Newcastle United want to sign James Maddison this summer, it’s going to cost them £60million.
The Magpies launched a £40million bid for the midfielder on Friday, but it was turned down by Leicester City. That would have made him Newcastle’s joint most expensive signing ever.
However, it’s going to cost a lot more than £40million to bring the 25-year-old to St James’ Park.
According to the Daily Mail, Leicester want £60million for Maddison. And that’s a figure that Dan Ashworth isn’t going to entertain.
Newcastle won’t meet Leicester’s £60m asking price for Maddison
The Daily Mail add that while Leicester might want £60million, they are not going to get it from Newcastle. They report that the Magpies will not offer close to that figure.
However, more talks are expected this week in hope that a compromise can be reached.
Would meeting in the middle at £50million please both parties? It would allow Leicester to double their money, having bought Maddison for £25million in 2018.
It’s probably more than Newcastle want to pay, but this doesn’t feel like a case of ‘Newcastle tax’. Leicester simply want to keep one of their best players, and a man who is a proven top tier talent in the Premier League.
We saw as much last season when Maddison provided 12 goals and eight assists in the league. 20 goal contributions is very impressive, and puts him miles ahead of any Newcastle player.
In fact, he 30 goal contributions in 53 games in all competitions during the 2021/22 campaign. Those numbers sum up why Leicester are right to command such a high fee. In the words of Brendan Rodgers, he is ‘immense‘.
However, they do need to sell to raise cash for signings, and that could play into Newcastle’s hands. If a compromise can be reached, Eddie Howe could soon be able to call upon one hell of a player.