Former Newcastle United boss Graeme Souness believes James Maddison is 'destined for the biggest stage' and could command a price tag in excess of £100 million. The Leicester City playmaker has been plagued by injuries this season but has still impressed and earned a place in England's World Cup squad.
Newcastle failed with two summer approaches for Maddison, and could revisit the move in the summer with the attacking midfielder set to enter the final year of his contract at the King Power Stadium. Brendan Rodgers admits he will 'not beg' the 26-year-old to extend his deal with the Foxes, with defending champions Manchester City also credited with an interest.
Maddison's contract status is expected to make Leicester vulnerable to a sale, with the former Premier League champions also likely to lose Youri Tielemans as a free agent this summer. However, Souness feels the one-cap England international could still command a record transfer fee for a domestic player.
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The pundit told Sky Sports: "He [Maddison] does all the hard jobs. I think he’s a top man, I really do, and I think it’s going to be very hard for them to hold onto him. Maybe perhaps over 100 million quid for him from what we’ve seen.
"I’m saying they can spend £110 million, Chelsea, on Fernandez, you’re buying potential with him and he may be a great player. Maybe a great player but maybe not, but he [Maddison] is a great player. The hardest thing in football is to get goals, he does that. He gets goals, and he creates."
Maddison has registered nine goals and five assists in all competitions for Leicester, despite a troubled campaign for the Foxes so far. Rodgers has described the attacking midfielder as 'one of the real talents of the Premier League', and Souness fears the Foxes will struggle to convince the player to stay.
Souness said: "I think he’s destined for the biggest stage, I really do, I think it’s going to be hard for Leicester to hold onto him.
"The hardest thing in midfield is to get what he possesses in abundance - he’s got a cute pass - the last two years he’s got the best stats than any midfield player. 13 assists, 21 goals from 52 games, he’s got the cute pass, he takes the ball in tight areas because his radar is fantastic, he knows where everything is when he’s receiving the ball so he can slip people in and he’s got an eye for goal.
"I was disappointed maybe because he was injured and he wasn’t used in the World Cup, but he is a top man. You have to have him in your team. He does the hardest things."
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