Tottenham Hotspur are open to being ready to try their chance for Leicester City midfielder James Maddison, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
Maddison has been linked with a move to Tottenham in recent weeks (Football Insider), with Leicester valuing him in the region of £60million while Newcastle United have also actively pursued the attacking midfielder and are said to have had two bids rejected, the latest being a fee in excess of £40million (Sky Sports).
Tottenham are said to be in the market for a creative player (Evening Standard), and were earlier in the window linked with a potential reunion with Christian Eriksen but a move never materialised, and the Dane ended up joining Manchester United (ESPN).
Jones has suggested that if Spurs are considering a move for Maddison, they will also have other top players under consideration in their search to provide a creative outlet to Antonio Conte’s side.
Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “If they’re looking at James Maddison, which they are open to, then there has to be a realistic chance that there are other players on the list too who are going to be top players.”
Our View
Bringing in someone who can be that creative outlet for us would make sense, considering how Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele have been shown the exit doors at N17. Harry Winks would join them as he has also been viewed as a surplus for requirements, having been left out of the pre-season squad (Daily Mail).
The trio’s departures would free up spots in midfield which could pave the way for Maddison to have a role in Conte’s team. The boss has used a 3-5-2 system at his previous clubs on several occasions, and signing the English midfielder would create the opportunity to make that change when needed.
That is especially the case after Richarlison left Everton to join us this summer which could lead to his potential pairing with Harry Kane up front. Moreover, Maddison could also help alleviate some pressure from Kane as there have been times when we were over-dependent on our talisman for creativity in the forward areas.
While Maddison is a great option indeed, the 25-year-old’s valuation may be too much for us to handle right now after the six additions we have made so far in this transfer window. Fortunately, it appears that there are other alternatives on our radar should we fail to get hold of him ahead of the next campaign.
That could be a genuine possibility indeed, looking at how we have been linked with the likes of AS Roma duo Nicolo Zaniolo (Calciomercato) and Nicola Zalewski (Corriere Dello Sport) and Olympique Lyonnais ace Lucas Paqueta (L’Equipe) in recent times.