Tottenham could do their intentions of signing James Maddison from Leicester a great deal of good if they qualify for the Champions League again next season.
Antonio Conte's side were interested in the English playmaker over the summer but the Foxes never loosened their grip on Maddison, especially after selling Wesley Fofana to Chelsea. Brendan Rodgers' side relied on player sales to boost revenue but weren't active in the market despite heavy interest in Maddison from Newcastle and Spurs.
The Lillywhites have scored an impressive 23 goals this season, third most in the league, but only four players have scored more than once.
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Pressure has come into Conte quickly despite the club sitting third in the league and being in control of their Champions League fate. Disappointing football, followed by two losses in a week has seen the Italian manager doubted by a number of fans who have seen pragmatic managers come and go recently. Despite Harry Kane's form, Spurs have struggled to create chances consistently.
This was part of the reason why Conte was keen to add Maddison to the permanent signings of Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski and Yves Bissouma this summer. Nothing got across the line though. That could still change in the future if Tottenham were to ensure another season in Europe's elite club competition though.
According to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs: "Tottenham have had Maddison on their radar as well and, come next summer, they might be the kind of club, if they get back-to-back seasons of Champions League football, that's a big appeal to James Maddison."
Newcastle went furthest in the race to sign Maddison. Their £50million was rejected with Leicester holding out for over £60million and reports suggest Eddie Howe's men could revisit the transfer as soon as January.
Jacobs also told GiveMeSport: "But there's far more than just those two, as you would expect given his current form. There's lots of clubs in the Premier League in particular really looking very seriously at James Maddison because he's proving week on week what he can offer to a top club.”
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