Newcastle United have reportedly had a bid rejected for Leicester City playmaker James Maddison, but it's not the first time the Magpies have been interested in the player. When Rafa Benitez was in the dugout at St James' Park between 2016 and 2019, he was a big admirer of Maddison, then a Norwich City player.
The 25-year-old impressed at Carrow Road, scoring 16 goals and grabbing 13 assists in 53 appearances. However, Newcastle weren't prepared to pay the £22 million asking price for Maddison, who was then snapped up by Leicester.
It's no secret that Benitez missed out on lots of transfer targets during his time at the club, under the stewardship of Mike Ashley.
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"We were watching a lot of players. I can give you a lot of names and you can say, 'Oh, you lost this player,' Benitez said before Newcastle faced Leicester, and Maddison, in 2019." He was deliberately coy, but he was reported to be a big admirer.
"No, sometimes you cannot sign the player, or another club moves faster than you. It depends what you need at this time and what money you have.”
The Magpies are now back in for Maddison, but they will have to pay significantly more than the £22 million they could have paid to Norwich in 2018. Leicester have reportedly rejected a £40 million bid from Newcastle for Maddison, and it's believed the Foxes value him at closer to £60 million.
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