Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on a deal to sign James Maddison and will submit a formal offer worth £40m following formal talks with Leicester City, according to The Athletic.
The North Londoners have been strongly linked with a move for Maddison following Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League after they finished 18th in the table last season.
Maddison was one of the standout players for the Foxes as he racked up 32 appearances and made 19 goal contributions for Leicester across all competitions last term.
The 26-year-old has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League for the past few seasons following his switch from Norwich City in 2018. He has featured in 203 games, scored 55 goals, and provided 41 assists in all competitions for Leicester.
Maddison was instrumental for the Foxes as they clinched the Emirates FA Cup and Community Shield by beating Chelsea on both occasions. He is attracting interest from Newcastle United but Tottenham look to have won the race for the Englishman’s signature this summer despite missing out on European qualification.
Reinforcement
According to The Athletic, Newcastle have pulled out of the race for Maddison as they’ve switched their attention to AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali, making Spurs the only team interested in signing the England midfielder.
The report claims that Tottenham are set to formalise their interest following successful talks with Leicester. The former Premier League champions have been holding out for £60m but Spurs will table an offer worth £40m plus add-ons.
Personal terms won’t be a problem as both Spurs and Maddison are keen on getting the deal done early before pre-season commences next month.
New Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou wants to bolster his squad for next season and midfield is an area he looks to reinforce. Spurs are said to be ready to sell players like such as Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer.
Hojbjerg has just two years left on his contract, however, he could be offloaded as the club are prepared to listen to offers for the former Southampton midfielder. Maddison would be an excellent signing for Tottenham if they could get the deal done.
Read more: Tottenham could sign target in £40m deal as Postecoglou aims to address key issue – report
