Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is an admirer of James Maddison although a move to north London is not “advanced” or “imminent”, according to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs.
The Italian has already welcomed six new players on board, but he wants to sign a creative player before September’s deadline, with Maddison emerging as an option.
What’s the latest news involving Maddison?
According to GiveMeSport‘s Dean Jones, Spurs have ‘touched base’ over a potential deal for the England international, and while he stated that he’d cost plenty, he admitted that the ‘door isn’t closed’.
Last summer, Arsenal were quoted £60m for the Leicester star, who’s scored 68 club career goals, although that price could possibly come down given Maddison has less than two years left on his Foxes deal.
But Tottenham have money available despite spending more than £90m so far this window, after the club announced a £150m injection of cash back in May.
Furthermore, the Telegraph believe Leicester would be open to selling Maddison to raise funds following their disappointing transfer activity last summer.
What did Jacobs say about Maddison?
Jacobs reckons that nothing is currently close but believes it’s one worth monitoring before the window slams shut on 1 September.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “Maddison is an interesting one because if Leicester are forced to sell, he might be the one allowed to leave.
“Tottenham at the moment are focused on outgoings for now, so there’s nothing to suggest that Maddison to Tottenham is imminent or advanced, but it’s absolutely true that Conte likes the player a lot, so let’s see where that one develops between now and the end of the window.”
Would Maddison start for Tottenham?
Should Maddison end up signing for Spurs, his amount of game-time would hinge on whether Conte wants to change his formation.
Since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo last November, the Tottenham boss has generally deployed a 3-4-3, which has proved a measure for success following the club’s fourth place finish, although it’s a formation that doesn’t appear to have room for a creative spark in midfield.
Therefore, if Conte wants to fit Maddison into his starting XI, he would have to sacrifice Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison, which would be a surprise considering the Swede’s impact following his January arrival and the fact Spurs just forked out £60m for the latter.
But what signing Maddison would do is give Tottenham another top quality option and potentially take them to the next level.
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