Unless James Maddison signs a contract extension at Leicester City, he is likely to leave in the summer and the midfielder has been tipped as the ideal signing for Newcastle United.
That is the view of former Aston Villa and Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore, who believes Maddison would fit Eddie Howe’s system perfectly but has warned the Geordies they could face some high-profile competition once the summer transfer window opens later this year.
Maddison, 26, has just 18 months left on his deal at the King Power, and with no signs of renewing his current terms, being such a valuable player would suggest that the Foxes may be willing to listen to offers.
Speaking about which club could offer the 26-year-old the best chances of developing his game, Collymore, who spoke in an exclusive interview, highlighted Newcastle United as an ideal destination.
“I think when you look at where Newcastle are and the direction they want to head toward, a player like James Maddison fits their profile – he’d be perfect,” the ex-Red said.
“They’ve got a strong English core to their side and a creative number 10, who can operate in the wider positions, is the type of player they’re missing. Walking into a dressing room that has players around the same age that he can develop with is always important too, so I can definitely see him fitting in well there.
“In terms of his own development, I genuinely believe he’d thrive under Eddie Howe – he’s hard-working and he’s direct, and I don’t mean direct in terms of long balls, but Newcastle obviously transition a lot quicker than what Leicester do, so for Maddison, who is capable of playing those one touch, quick, eye-of-a-needle passes, Newcastle’s system would be ideal.”
Even if the Magpies do have Maddison on their shortlist, they’re unlikely to be alone though, and Collymore wouldn’t be surprised if league leaders Arsenal considered rivalling their Northeast rivals, especially if they want to add quality-in-depth to their squad ahead of next season’s European competition.
“I wonder if Mike Arteta’s Arsenal may think about signing him too though,” he added.
“They’re almost guaranteed to be in the Champions League next season so they’ll want options and providing Martin Odegaard with competition could be key to the Norwegian going from strength to strength.
“I think Arteta would welcome a player as confident as Maddison coming in as well. His personality is a bit like Marmite – he’s a player you either love or hate and there’s been a few instances in the past where his behaviour has been questioned so his future will depend on his attitude now, which does seem to have improved.
“The biggest area he needs to work on now is his level of consistency. He’s never really had a solid season from start to finish, but if he can string together a good second half of the campaign and be instrumental in the Foxes staying up, then I’m sure a lot of clubs, including Newcastle and Arsenal, will be in for him come the summer window.”