The club has reportedly had a £40million bid for the attacking midfielder rejected by Leicester City. And Howe was asked if he could say anything about Newcastle’s interest in Maddison after this afternoon’s 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at St James’s Park.
Asked if he was hopeful of signing a player before next weekend’s Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest, Howe said: “We’re trying. We’d love to add to the squad before Saturday’s game, but there’s no guarantee.”
Newcastle have signed three players – Sven Botman, Nick Pope and Matt Targett – so far this summer at a cost of around £60million.
Meanwhile, Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin were on target against Athletic.
The game followed a 1-0 win over Atalanta on Friday, and Howe said: “The last two games have been brilliant exercises for us. Two top teams, two different XIs, so a big test for our squad. Two games, and two positive results and performances.”
Check out the latest Premier League transfer speculation below...
5. Gunners favourite for Gakpo
Arsenal are favourites to sign PSV Eindhoven and Netherlands winger Cody Gakpo this summer ahead of Leeds United. (Dean Jones) | AFP via Getty Images
6. Hammers optimistic over double deal
West Ham remain “pretty optimistic” about completing transfers for Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski and Eintracht Frankfurt full-back Filip Kostic. (Dean Jones) | Getty Images
7. City walk away from Cucurella talks
Manchester City have told Brighton they will not pay £50m for the transfer of Marc Cucurella and that they are actively looking at alternatives. (ESPN) | Getty Images
8. Leeds eye Adams
Leeds United are lining up a surprise £10m move for Southampton striker Che Adams. (The Sun) | Getty Images