Magpies going Mad for £50m Foxes ace
COMPETITION WELCOMED
NEWCASTLE United are refusing to give up on their pursuit of playmaker James Maddison, despite Leicester City insisting the England international is not for sale.
The Magpies had a £40million offer turned down at the weekend and have since returned with a bid worth a club-record £50million once add-ons are factored in.
Maddison’s camp has given the United hierarchy sufficient encouragement that Newcastle are prepared to keep pushing for a deal despite manager Brendan Rodgers saying the 25-year-old will stay at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester are the only side in the Premier League not to have made a summer signing and a number of their stars have been linked with moves, including Belgium star Youri Tielemans, exciting winger Harvey Barnes and French centre-back Wesley Fofana.
“There is within the club, a financial situation which isn’t ideal in terms of wanting to do business,” Leicester boss Rodgers said.
“It does not mean we will be exploited and we don’t want to be losing our best players.
“You don’t want to lose your best players and then not be able to bring any in. That does not stack up.
“With James, he is looking the best he has in my time here. He is a joy to work with. I love him as a young guy, seeing him grow from when I first came in to a 25-year-old father.
“He is really pivotal to us. There is no way I would want to sell him.”
Leicester are in need of a cash injection, regardless of what Rodgers said, as they are struggling to get rid of fringe players on high wages.
While Maddison is one of their top
RODGERS INSISTS ENGLAND-CAPPED PLAYMAKER WILL NOT LEAVE BUT 25-YEAR-OLD’S
CAMP’S WORDS GIVING TOON ENCOURAGEMENT
assets he has just two years left on his current contract and therefore this is the ideal time to cash in if they are going to do so.
The playmaker signed for the East Midlands side from Norwich in 2016 and has won the FA Cup with the Foxes.
While he is a creative force capable of unlocking defences, Maddison also is a threat in front of goal and from set-pieces, scoring 18 times in 53 games in all competitions last season.
He has found the net 45 times in 171 appearances for Leicester since arriving and he won his sole England cap while with the club.
Newcastle, sensing an opportunity, have tested the waters at a time when Leicester’s wage bill has risen to nearly £159m and the Foxes’ salary to turnover ratio was an eyewatering 85% in the club’s most recent accounts. Although Leicester are traditionally smart buyers, Rodgers’ side got more signings wrong than right last summer, which has contributed to the logjam Newcastle are trying to capitalise on.
Leicester have previously funded recruitment drives by letting key players leave. N’Golo Kante (Chelsea, 2016), Danny Drinkwater (Chelsea, 2017), Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City, 2018), Harry Maguire (Manchester United, 2019) and Ben Chilwell (Chelsea, 2020) have all quit the club over the years and the Foxes must decide whether to do likewise with Maddison.
In the case of Chilwell, Rodgers was similarly adamant there was ‘no need’ to let the England left-back leave – only to sell him to Chelsea 45 days later.
We don’t want to be losing our best players ... He is really pivotal to us. There is no way I would want to sell him Brendan Rodgers on James Maddison
I have ambitions to play obviously - and I am not going to hide that ... I did everything I could in pre-season - it is now up to the manager
MARTIN Dubravka says he is ready to fight for his place as he faces fresh – but welcome – competition from Nick Pope for a starting spot.
The Slovakian international could start the new campaign on the bench after Newcastle spent £10million to sign England goalkeeper Pope from relegated Burnley this summer.
The club’s first-choice goalkeeper since he moved to Tyneside in January 2018, Dubravka insists he will not give up his place easily and has reiterated his desire to play to The Chronicle.
Pope and Dubravka both played last weekend, the former in goal for the 1-0 win over Atalanta and the latter appearing in the 2-1 victory over Bilbao.
However, only one will be able to start in the Premier League opener, leaving one of the international duo disappointed.
“I have ambitions to play - and obviously I am not going to hide that one, it is the same for everyone,” said Dubravka, who has kept 37 clean sheets in 130 appearances for the Magpies.
“The goalkeeper position is special and unique, only one can be on the pitch. Let’s see what life will bring.
“Nothing has really changed. Competition is good for everyone.
“I have said that many times, everywhere I have been before I have had to fight for my position.
“I did everything I could in preseason in my eyes - it is now up to the manager so we will see.”
While Dubravka has faced some degree of competition from Karl Darlow during his time with Newacstle, Pope’s arrival has raised the stakes for the former Sparta Prague shot-stopper.
He fought his way to the top after an early career with Zilina, Esbjerg, Slovan Liberec and Prague before stepping on to the Premier League stage at 29 before showing his class with a clean sheet against Manchester United.
From that moment on he won a place in the hearts of the St James’ Park faithful.
Dubravka’s mantra of hard work will not change this season.
He added: “I started to play when I was 19 and I had to prove then I deserved to take the shirt. At previous clubs it has been the same situation.
“We know we are in the process of building the team so it is like that. The only thing you can do is focus on the job.”
He said: “It is always special to play at St James’ Park. They always give you that special welcome on to the field and all the way through. It is just a special place.
“That is why the appreciation is there after each game, we just want to give them something back.”
He added: “I have been here nearly five years now. “This feels like my home. My son was born here and I have a house here.
“I feel at home, the people are so nice here and I feel I can call them friends.
“It is a nice place to live and then the club speaks for itself, a fantastic club, huge club and amazing fanbase.”
Dubravka staked his claim in preseason with a string of good displays. Looking back on an intense summer, he added: “It was a good way to finish off pre-season. It was a good test for us and we played a couple of strong teams.
“Most people got 90 minutes so it all went well. They were both tough games against Atalanta and Athletic Bilbao so it is credit to the lads because they did a great job - but next week is the real test against Nottingham Forest.”