Tottenham have opened talks with Leicester over James Maddison as they look to beat Newcastle to his signature, 90min understands.
The 26-year-old registered ten goals and nine assists during the 2022/23 Premier League campaign as the Foxes were surprisingly relegated to the Championship.
Maddison has been a long-term target for Newcastle while Spurs' interest dates back to the playmaker's days at Championship play-off finalists Coventry and Norwich.
90min revealed on Tuesday that incoming Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou has already given his approval for the pursuit of Maddison to continue in the summer transfer window, and sources have confirmed that talks are now underway with Leicester.
Leicester are looking for a fee of between £55m and £60m for the two-cap England international, whose entourage has also been spoken to by Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal over the last six months, and it appears Spurs are now going head-to-head with Newcastle for his signature.
The Magpies are considering moves for a number of players at the three teams who were relegated
and still want Maddison, who was the subject of a failed £50m bid last summer. However, 90min understands they are reluctant to offer much more than that sum at this stage.
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Tottenham have now started negotiating with Leicester as they look to spruce up their midfield options. A lack of creativity hindered Spurs throughout the 2022/23 season before their embarrassing implosion, while Newcastle reached the Champions League thanks in part to the efforts of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Joe Willock.
Spurs are ready to offer a salary comparable to star striker Harry Kane, while Newcastle would make him the joint-highest earner at the club alongside Guimaraes..
A move to Spurs would see Maddison link up more frequently with England captain Harry Kane. Both were included in the 2022 World Cup squad and are also in line to feature in Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia this month.
Kane's own future has been the subject of fierce scrutiny with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United among those keen, but 90min understands Tottenham have told the 29-year-old he will not leave north London this summer.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Tottenham open talks with Leicester over Newcastle target James Maddison.