Tottenham eye summer move for James Maddison

Tottenham Hotspur are ready to rival Manchester City for the signing of Leicester City midfielder James Maddison in the summer transfer window, according to the Mirror.

Maddison has once again been one of the standout players for the Foxes this season and was linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium last summer.

The newspaper claims resurgent Newcastle United had at least two bids of up to £50m rejected last summer. However, with his current contract set to expire in 2024, there’s an expectation the midfielder will leave this year.

Since joining Leicester from Norwich City, the England international has scored 53 goals and provided 36 assists in 188 appearances for the Foxes, including 41 goals in the top-flight.

This season, he has made 14 goal contributions in 16 Premier League matches for Leicester and played a key role in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Tottenham to boost their survival hopes.

Antonio Conte wants to bolster his midfield options as he looks to bring in competition for the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma and it appears Maddison is on his radar.

The Mirror says Tottenham are keen on signing the attacking midfielder this summer but will face competition from Manchester City while Newcastle could also renew their interest.

Maddison’s enormous Premier League experience and quality would him an excellent signing for Conte and his charges as they seek to break their trophy jinx in the coming seasons.

Admired by Spurs

Maddison, who is valued at around £49m by Transfermarkt, is admired by the north Londoners following his impressive displays and ability to spilt defence with his incisive passes.

Tottenham coach Cristian Stellini said.

“We like Maddison. He is an important player in this league, a player with an important type of skill, like his delivery, his crossing, his right foot is a very important foot so he shoots, he crosses, he takes the set-pieces,”

“He is a player you have to take care of. When you play against him, you have to be careful. When you feel how important is this type of skill, for sure you like this type of player.

“He’s a player with talent. At the moment he’s playing for Leicester, a team we play against. We take care of him like an opponent.”

Tottenham would have to spend big if they are to beat their Premier League rivals to Maddion’s signature in the summer but he’d be an excellent signing if they could pull it off.