Manchester United suffer a blow in their James Maddison pursuit
The Daily Mail have reported that Leicester City have started talks with James Maddison to renew his contract amid Manchester United transfer rumors.
The 22-year-old, who will turn 23 on Saturday, has been one of the Premier League’s best playmakers ever since he joined the Foxes from Norwich last season.
Leicester have been flying under Brendan Rodgers, and Maddison has been one of their standout players. The former champions are incredibly 2nd in the league table right now, ahead of Manchester City and Chelsea.
This season has been a very important one for the youngster, as he earned his first England senior cap in a 7-0 win over Montenegro in Euro qualifying. He also has 4 goals and 2 assists in the Premier League so far.
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Manchester United have changed their transfer policy this summer, focusing on bringing in young British talent like Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The success of both players might have convinced the management to continue with the strategy, because Maddison appears to be one of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s biggest targets for the upcoming transfer windows.
However, Leicester’s performances might make it difficult for United to attract the midfielder to Old Trafford.
Rodgers will be fairly confident of guiding his team to a top 4 finish this season. For United, the best chance of Champions League qualification for the 2020/21 campaign seems to be through winning the Europa League.
The prospect of continental football next season might persuade Maddison to stay with the Foxes, especially since his new contract might reportedly double his current £50,000-a-week wages.
Leicester are building a team for the future, centered around young stars like Maddison, Youri Tielemans, Wilfred Ndidi and Harvey Barnes, and led by veterans like Kasper Schmeichel and Jamie Vardy.
The fact that talks have begun in spite of Maddison having three and a half years left on his contract is an indication of how serious Rodgers is about holding on to him.
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If the midfielder signs on the dotted line, United’s chances of signing him might drop to virtually zero.