Newcastle United may have been handed a potential blow in their reported interest in the Leicester City midfielder James Maddison.
What’s the latest?
It has been reported the Magpies are big fans of the 26-year-old midfielder and have set their sights on potentially landing him in the summer transfer window.
Last summer, it was believed Newcastle made two bids for the Englishman but were unable to match the £60m valuation that the Foxes put on their main man.
However, there have been recent reports to emerge suggesting Manchester City are now showing an interest in the midfielder ahead of the summer.
And speaking on the Daily Mail YouTube channel, journalist Craig Hope has admitted this is news which will concern Newcastle fans greatly:
(15:15) “Now I know any Newcastle United supporting viewers watching this will be screaming: ‘we thought Maddison was going to Newcastle.’
“Well, I reported this earlier in the window, but the information I had from inside the club was that as much as they liked James Maddison, Sami [Mokbel], I just don’t think it’s the sort of deal they’re perhaps looking to do right now.”
Big blow for the Toon
There have been reports suggesting the Toon have identified Maddison as their main target so any reports claiming the player could be headed elsewhere will be a huge blow.
Reports in the past have claimed Maddison is looking for a club that will be able to offer him Champions League football for next season which will give Newcastle something to aim for in the remainder of this season.
And this is something which City will almost definitely be able to provide the midfielder next season as their focus remains on retaining their Premier League crown.
Which club would be a better move for Maddison?
Newcastle United
Manchester City
However, with such a wealth of squad depth at Pep Guardiola’s disposal, there will be obvious question marks as to whether Maddison would actually be able to earn regular game time.
This can be seen through Kalvin Phillips’ move in the summer to the Etihad Stadium – albeit struggling through injury – with the midfielder only racking up 18 minutes of league action thus far.
With the suggestion Maddison is the main target for the Toon, there would be the expectation that a possible move to Tyneside would see him become a mainstay in the starting XI.
However, many players would find it difficult to reject a potential approach from Manchester City with the consistently high level of football on display at the Etihad and the opportunity to work under a manager like Guardiola.
So it certainly feels as if Newcastle may now have their work cut out if they are to attract Maddison over the coming months.
