Leicester want at least £40m for Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle target James Maddison

Leicester City will demand at least £40 million for their highly sought-after midfielder James Maddison, according to The Athletic.

Maddison’s contract with the Foxes expires at the end of next season, but Leicester are open to doing business this summer to avoid losing him on a free transfer.

Leicester must balance their books ahead of a crucial transfer window, and they will look to reinvest the proceeds from Maddison’s sale into rebuilding the squad.

Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Manchester United have all been linked with a move for the England international, and Leicester could get more than their initial valuation if a bidding war starts.

Despite Leicester’s overall underwhelming campaign, Maddison was a standout performer for the Foxes scoring ten times and setting up a further nine.

Maddison can be deployed as an attacking midfielder or a winger, and his versatility could be useful for Arsenal, Newcastle or Man United as they look to bolster their squads after securing Champions League qualification.

The 26-year-old has impressed enough to earn a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the two European Championship qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia this month.

Maddison has amassed a wealth of Premier League experience since joining Leicester in 2018. 

He has racked up 55 goals and 41 assists in 203 games and will prove good value for money for whichever side wins the race for his signature.

Following their relegation to the Championship, Leicester will likely lose some high-profile names this summer, with Youri Tielemans out of contract and Harvey Barnes also being courted.

Tielemans has been linked with Arsenal, Man United and Liverpool in the past, having refused to commit his long-term future to Leicester, but there are no offers on the table yet.

Barnes is attracting interest from Aston Villa and Europa Conference League finalists West Ham United, while Caglar Soyuncu is expected to join Atletico Madrid when his contract runs out.