Tottenham have been handed a significant transfer boost in their pursuit of James Maddison with the club keen to add a new playmaker to Antonio Conte's squad.
Spurs have been linked with moves for Jesse Lingard, Christian Eriksen and Nicolo Zaniolo in recent weeks, but there is one name on fans' lips at the moment: James Maddison. The Leicester City playmaker has been linked with a move to N17 this summer after a sensational season for the Foxes last term, delivering a whopping 18 goals and 12 assists across 52 appearances in all competitions.
Maddison's output last term came close to replicating that of Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne with many top clubs keeping tabs on the England international. football.london understands Conte wants to add one or two more new players to his squad before next season, but a move for Maddison is unlikely at present.
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According to The Telegraph, Leicester's wages-to-turnover ratio is unsustainable at the current levels with too many highly-paid players spending their weekends doing nothing on matchdays. Long-term injuries to the likes of Wesley Fofana, James Justin, Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans and Wilfried Ndidi, as well as a poor recruitment strategy last summer saw the Foxes fall short of expectations last term.
The report suggests Leicester's financial losses for next year, on current projections, could be over £90million, but the commitment of owners King Power remains unwavering and it is the size of the squad and Financial Fair Play that are the bigger concerns. Deals for Noni Madueke and Chelsea's Levi Colwill have been paused for now, and without funds coming in or the wage bill being eased, Rodgers cannot move for the players he wants to revitalise his squad.
This may hand Spurs a huge boost in their pursuit of Maddison, with the Foxes in need of a huge influx of cash to reinvest elsewhere in the squad. The 25-year-old has publicly stated his intentions to stay at the King Power, yet a contract renewal is yet to be agreed between the player and club.
Maddison has just two years left on his current deal, and would be a significantly cheaper fee next summer. The Foxes are stuck in a similar situation with Youri Tielemans with the Belgian attracting interest from Spurs' north London rivals Arsenal and Manchester United.
Leicester have a decision to make this summer; move on star players such as Maddison and reinvest in the squad or keep hold of players that will depreciate in value without a contract renewal and make no new signings ahead of next season? The clock is ticking for the Foxes with top clubs patiently waiting in the wings ready to snap up deals for Leicester's star players.
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