Manchester United are reportedly confident of landing James Maddison, whose contract negotiations with Leicester City have stalled.
If a report by Daily Star is to be believed, Manchester United have received a huge boost in their pursuit of signing James Maddison from Leicester City. The Red Devils are determined to land the highly-rated midfielder next summer for a fee of around £80 million and are also ready to make him one of the highest-paid players at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to bolster his options in midfield after losing players like Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera this year. The Red Devils did not sign a single replacement and are, therefore, hot on the tails of James Maddison, who is reportedly Manchester United’s priority target.
The Leicester City start is a boyhood Manchester United fan and is reportedly open to the idea of joining the club. Brendan Rodgers, though, is also determined to keep one of his most prized possessions at the King Power Stadium and the Foxes have, thus, started negotiations on a bumper new deal to tie up the England international.
According to the report, however, Maddison will hike up his wages from the offer Leicester have submitted, but talks have not progressed all that well between the player and the club regarding the contract extension.
The current scenario involving the 23-year-old and Leicester only provides Manchester United more initiative to convince him to make the switch to Old Trafford. However, the Foxes have slapped a huge price tag of around £80 million, which will make him the joint-second-costliest transfer for the Red Devils, only behind Paul Pogba’s move in 2015.
Maddison has been one of the many players who has peaked this season under Rodgers and has been a vital cog in the Foxes’ midfield this season. Manchester United currently lack a player of the ilk of Maddison, who can always find the right progressive pass and carry the ball up the field while also chipping in with goals.
With five goals and three assists this season till now, Maddison is one of the contenders to feature in England’s final squad for the Euro 2020 and Manchester United are keen to secure his signature before the tournament. United are even willing to triple his wages to convince him to make his way to Old Trafford.
Although Solskjaer will have the finances to flex his muscle in January, the club is not too certain to achieve their targets within the winter transfer window. So, the Norwegian is pretty hopeful and if not in January, Maddison could join the club next summer.
Solskjaer has made it clear that he needs some reinforcements to compete in the Premier League and also in Europe. An attacking midfielder, a central midfielder and a forward to replace Romelu Lukaku seem to be the priority for Manchester United.
It looks like Manchester United are starting with a creative reinforcement first and it remains to be seen if a move for Maddison can be completed, should talks over a new contract with Leicester City continue to be stalled.
