Fabrizio Romano: NUFC still pushing to sign £60m gem, he could be "world-class" at SJP - opinion

Newcastle United have reportedly not given up hope of signing Leicester City midfielder James Maddison, despite having been rebuffed by the Foxes thus far.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, in his CaughtOffside column via Substack, the Magpies are set to make a further attempt to sign the 25-year-old this summer, having already seen two bids rejected thus far – the latter of which totalled a fee of around £50m.

The transfer insider wrote: “Newcastle will push again for the transfer of James Maddison after having two offers rejected. It’s a tricky deal, though, because Leicester insist there is no price for Maddison – Brendan Rodgers has publicly commented that Maddison is not for sale.”

As Romano alluded to, Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has seemingly attempted to quash any speculation regarding the Englishman by stating he is not for sale, albeit with some quarters suggesting that a £60m offer could be enough to tempt the Midlands side into letting him depart.

Previously dubbed “world-class” by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate for his set-piece prowess, Maddison could well become the star attraction at St James’ Park were to make the switch before the September deadline, having proven himself an elite performer in recent times at the King Power Stadium.

The former Norwich City man – who joined his current side on a £20m deal back in 2018 – has scored 45 goals and provided 33 assists in 171 games in all competitions for the Foxes, cementing himself as the key creative force in Rodgers’ side.

Last term proved particularly fruitful as the £45m-rated maestro scored 12 goals and registered eight assists in 35 Premier League games, recording a stunning average match rating of 7.32 in the process, as per SofaScore –