Newcastle United continue to be linked with Leicester City and England playmaker James Maddison heading into the January transfer window. The Magpies had two bids knocked back for the Foxes talisman in the summer and speculation hasn't slowed down linking the 26-year-old with a move to St. James' Park.
The chemistry between Maddison and Newcastle United trio; Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Nick Pope, on international duty has done nothing to douse the fires of speculation ahead of a return to Premier League action. The winter transfer window is just over a week away and black and white supporters would love to see Maddison make the move up north come the end of the window.
However, the Foxes' relegation plight may have a bigger impact that first imagined. Brendan Rodgers' side have recovered from the early season wobble and shot up the table with a string of impressive results before the break, but still sit just four points above the drop zone.
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Chronicle Live spoke with Leicester Live's Leicester City correspondent Jordan Blackwell for an insight into how James Maddison has fared this season and whether the Magpies might be able to prise him away from the King Power in January.
Maddison was linked with Newcastle last summer and continues to be linked with the Magpies heading into January. Do you think a move is likely?
Jordan Blackwell: "In January, no, I don’t think a move is likely. Leicester will be very reluctant to lose such a key player midway through the season, particularly when the loss of his goals and assists could see them dragged back towards the relegation battle.
"It would take a huge bid for Leicester to change their mind on that front, and I don’t know if Newcastle would be desperate to pay that, especially if that figure comes down in the summer. Come June, when Maddison will only have a year left on his Leicester contract, I think a sale is more likely.
"I don’t think Leicester will want to lose him for nothing in 2024, as looks to be the case with Youri Tielemans in the summer coming up."
Newcastle had a number of reported bids rejected, was there any truth in that from your end?
JB: "Yes, I understand there were two bids rejected by Leicester. The size of the bids has been more difficult to determine as a range of numbers were mentioned at the time.
"But whatever the offers were, they were not big enough to even make Leicester consider selling Maddison."
Maddison has been a standout performer for Leicester this season, what qualities have stood out in particular, are there any games that spring to mind?
JB: "In terms of games, his best performances were in the 4-0 home win over Nottingham Forest and the 2-0 away win at Everton. In both of those matches, I don’t think it would be exaggerating to say he performed at a world-class level.
"In the Forest game, he showed a sheer determination to get a result, and a willingness to take on the burden of securing the win. He had the confidence in his ability to do it too. He wanted the ball at his feet because he knew he was the player who could be decisive in the game.
"In both of those fixtures, his footwork was outstanding, and his game intelligence came to the fore in how he created space and shooting chances for himself and others. Tactically he gets it too, and it’s not unusual to see him directing team-mates on when to press."
He was called up for the WC despite an injury worry. Will he be disappointed not to play at the tournament and do you think a move elsewhere could see him get more game time in the England set-up?
JB: "No, I don’t think he will be too disappointed not to have featured. I think he will focus on the positive of earning himself a call-up in the first place when for so long it looked like he would not get one.
"I think if he was to play in the Champions League and show himself at that level, that would see him get more chances with England, but he will hope that no matter which club he is playing at, having trained in front of Southgate for the past few weeks, he will have made a good enough impression so as to be included in the next squad."
There have been suggestions Southgate isn't a fan of Maddison's attitude. However, Eddie Howe has stressed the need to bring in right characters. How would Maddison, if a move came about, fit into the Newcastle dressing room?
JB: "I think those suggestions have stemmed from the fact that his previous omissions couldn’t possibly be for a football reason. But it’s simply not the case.
"There was the casino incident that seems to get brought up often, but he actually got called up in the England squad after that, so that clearly wasn’t an issue. There was the incident with Leicester too when he and a couple of other players broke Covid guidelines and were dropped for a game by Brendan Rodgers.
"Southgate praised Rodgers’ handling of the situation at the time. But other players who have been regulars in Southgate’s squad have committed similar misdemeanours and it’s not affected their involvement.
"It seems that Maddison is a very popular character wherever he goes, and in the Leicester dressing room at least, he is a player who fits into multiple different groups. Everybody likes him.
"I think he is prone to drops in self-belief at times and that affects his form, but over the past 18 months, he has trained really well and that’s seen a rise in the quality of his performances."
Leicester are no strangers to playing in Europe, but could their absence hinder their ability to keep the likes of Maddison at the club?
JB: "Probably. There are several players in the Leicester squad, of which Maddison is one, who know that they have the quality to be playing European football, and so it’s not unreasonable to suggest they would want to play for a club who are more likely to qualify.
"Leicester have only been out of Europe for one season, so it’s not like they have yet completely fallen out of contention, but it does seem tougher for them now to get back into Europe."
The Foxes were believed to be in financial problems in the summer, has that situation passed or are they likely to have to sell Maddison or Tielemans?
JB: "The situation has not really passed, no. They will still be cautious over their spending and will still have to balance incomings and outgoings. Selling Wesley Fofana for £70m and replacing him with a £15m arrival has helped on that front, but they will still be careful in how they operate.
"There are plenty of fringe players they want to move on, and while they may not get much in the way of transfer fees for them, it will free up their wage budget, which is just as important for them right now."
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