Newcastle United had already proceeded to other transfer targets days before Tottenham Hotspur finally completed a deal for James Maddison.
As the Magpies have shown in the past, with deals like Diego Carlos and Jesse Lingard, Newcastle have their valuations firmly in place on every player. And while Maddison would have been a popular signing for many, United have stuck to their budget plans and refused to get into a bidding war before leaving the room.
It was always going to be now or never with Maddison for Newcastle but despite Leicester's attempts on forcing a steep fee, the Magpies refused to be pushed into a corner. And so Tottenham proved to be the only side willing to pay a ramped-up price for the England international.
