James Maddison: Newcastle United set £50m ultimatum amid Tottenham Hotspur transfer interest

Newcastle have been heavily linked with a move for Maddison after having two bids rejected by Leicester City last summer. But with Leicester now relegated from the Premier League, The Magpies are set to make another offer with The Foxes holding out for £60million.

Newcastle will be looking to do a deal for under the £50million mark considering the 26-year-old has less than a year left on his contract and is set to leave Leicester this summer. United’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur also interested.

And transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims Newcastle will ‘insist’ on agreeing a deal for Maddison with Leicester this week as they want to avoid another transfer saga. United want to have the player at the club in time for the start of pre-season.

But Spurs remain in the hunt with new manager Ange Postecoglou reportedly requesting to sign the player this summer. Maddison and Postecoglou share the same agency.

Newcastle still have some advantages over Tottenham with the unfamiliar incentive of being able to offer Champions League football next season while Spurs missed out on Europe altogether.

Maddison has been away on international duty with England but still could escape the transfer speculation with Newcastle’s Callum Wilson teasing the move on social media.

The Magpies No. 9 posted a photo of him grabbing the Leicester midfielder with the caption: “Newcastle is this way @MADDERS.”

Wilson and Maddison were also briefly team-mates at Coventry before the former left to join AFC Bournemouth in 2014.