The latest on Newcastle United’s interest in James Maddison and what Brendan Rodgers has said about his future

Reports of a bid from the Magpies for the 25-year-old emerged late last week, however, the Foxes quickly rejected United’s advances.

Maddison joins a long-list of players linked with a move to St James’s Park this summer, but unlike many previous reports, United’s interest in the former Norwich City star doesn’t appear to be fading.

Here, we take a look at the latest situation surrounding Newcastle’s interest in Maddison and what Eddie Howe and Brendan Rodgers have said about a potential move:

What’s the latest on Newcastle United's bid for Maddison?

Newcastle reportedly lodged a £40million bid for Maddison last week, one that was swiftly rejected by Leicester City.

The Magpies are currently weighing-up their options and could return with another bid, however, the two clubs remain some way off in their valuation of the player with a compromise on both price and structure of the deal needing to be found before an agreement can be reached.

According to iNews, Leicester would prefer a ‘significant portion’ of money up-front for the midfielder, whilst Newcastle, as we have seen with many of their proposed deals this summer, would prefer to spread out the cost of the transfer fee.

£60million is seen as a fee that could move a deal for Maddison closer to completion.

What would Maddison bring to Newcastle United?

Fans on social media have been salivating over clips of Maddison’s best goals in a Leicester City shirt.

Whether it’s spectacular free-kicks or sumptuous long-range efforts, there’s no doubting the great threat he poses when given the opportunity to shoot.

Maddison bagged 15 goals and eight assists in all competitions last year, his best return since starring for Norwich City in the Championship - form that earned him a £22.5million move to Leicester in 2018.

Despite having just one England cap to his name, a good start to the season could earn Maddison a spot in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad at the end of the year, something that the midfielder has described would be the ‘pinnacle’ of his career should he be selected.

What has Brendan Rodgers said about Maddison’s future?

Naturally, following Leicester’s 1-0 pre-season victory over Sevilla on Sunday, the Foxes boss was quizzed over Maddison’s future at the club:

"Nothing on that, very much still a player here,” Rodgers said.

“Actually, these players are sought-after, because they’re talents. See from his performance how happy he (Maddison) is. Not for me to put values on players, but that might cover three-quarters of his left leg. He's a top player."

Maddison grabbed an assist for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s winner at the King Power Stadium.

What has Eddie Howe said?

Much like Rodgers, United’s head coach was also asked about reported interest in Maddison, however, Howe would not be drawn into speculation.

Speaking after the win over Athletic Bilbao, when asked about links with Maddison, Howe said: “Predictable answer, no.”

However, he did provide an update over the club’s current efforts in the transfer market:

“We’re trying. We’d love to add to the squad before Saturday’s game [against Nottingham Forest], but there’s no guarantee.”