Newcastle United told to ‘take advantage’ of Leicester City amid £10m James Maddison claim – pundit
Noel Whelan has backed Newcastle to strike an “absolutely perfect” £50million deal for James Maddison this summer.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the 25-year-old would be “worth every penny” for the St James’ Park club.
Football Insider revealed on Monday (1 August) that the Foxes have slapped a £60million price tag on Maddison, 25, after rejecting a £40million offer from Newcastle.
Brendan Rodgers’ side are willing to cash in on Maddison if their asking price is met.
Leicester are the only Premier League club not to sign a single senior player this summer, and it is understood that they need to sell to raise funds for purchases.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have spent big to sign Sven Botman, Matt Targett, and Nick Pope.
Whelan backed Maddison to become an instant fan favourite at St James’ Park and claimed Newcastle could raise their bid by £10million to seal a deal.
“He would be absolutely perfect for Newcastle,” he told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury.
“He’d be a fan favourite straight away at St James’ Park, he’s absolutely fantastic on the ball – and with the goals and assists he produces.
“£40million is a low offer – I think £50million could give you the opportunity to get him through the door and take advantage of Leicester’s situation.
“It’d be worth every penny with what he could bring to that front line.”
Maddison, who has two years remaining on his contract, notched 18 goals and 12 assists in the 2021-22 campaign.
Newcastle start their 2022-23 campaign by hosting Nottingham Forest on Saturday (6 August).
In other news, pundit claims Allan Saint-Maximin could be at Newcastle for “six more years” after update.