Newcastle United's 12-month pursuit of James Maddison is entering its final hours. The Leicester City midfielder and England international has long been linked with a move to Tyneside but Tottenham Hotspur are set to secure his services this summer.
Maddison will undergo a medical in north London on Wednesday as the final formalities of his Spurs contract are signed and sealed. The 26-year-old is set to cost around £40m, despite recently-relegated Leicester initially holding out for north of £50m.
Newcastle were in the driving seat until recently and a move looked feasible until Maddison's wage demands became an issue. The attacking midfielder is expected to pocket north of £170,000-a-week at Tottenham, which would have made him the highest earner at St James' Park.
A central midfielder, left-back, centre-back and another attacker are high on the transfer shortlist at Newcastle and while Maddison would have been a welcomed addition, signing an attacking midfielder isn't a necessity at present.
Newcastle have instead turned their attention to getting a deal for Sandro Tonali over the line in recent weeks. The AC Milan midfielder is poised to officially join Eddie Howe's side in the coming days after agreeing a six-year deal on Tyneside.
Tonali will double his wages upon arrival in the north east, taking home £150,000-a-week, which is double his current wage at the San Siro. The 23-year-old is currently away on international duty with Italy U21s.
As for Maddison and his move to the capital, there will likely be some sadness among sections of the Newcastle fanbase after such a drawn out transfer pursuit. Howe first tried to sign the player last summer but Leicester held on to their prized asset for a further 12 months.
"I have full respect for him and his abilities. I have seen him grow from a Football League player to a Premier League player," Howe said of Maddison last year. "He has been brilliant. He has been a great advert for the Premier League."
Newcastle are still on the hunt for more attacking firepower and have been heavily linked to RB Leipzig's Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian international is poised to leave the Red Bull Arena this summer, with his release clause currently set at £60m.
