Newcastle back off Maddison as he joins Tottenham

Tottenham has closed in to sign Leicester City playmaker James Maddison, reportedly a 40 million pound fee (plus add-ons) has been agreed upon, with the Newcastle target completing his medical yesterday.

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – MAY 22: Newcastle player Bruno Guimaraes is challenged by James Maddison during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on May 22, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /

This news brings Newcastle’s interest in Maddison to an end, however, it seems like the Newcastle Hierarchy has decided to switch tact to alternatives such as Barella, and the imminent signing from AC Milan – Sandro Tonali.

This brings an end to year-long pursuit by Newcastle which started last summer, and continued through the January window, when Newcastle had a number of bids for Maddison rejected by the Foxes.

Some of the Toon Faithful might be disappointed to learn of this news, but the acquisition of an Italian international midfielder Tonali will more than likely soften the blow.

CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA – JUNE 22: Sandro Tonali of Italy controls ball during the UEFA Under-21 Euro 2023 Group D match between France and Italy at Cluj Arena on June 22, 2023 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images) /

As with Newcastle’s previous summer transfer business, Newcastle has gone about signing players quietly, and without much fanfare thanks to Newcastle’s excellent recruitment team headed by Sporting Director Dan Ashworth and Head of Recruitment Steve Nickson.

This begs the question with the Magpie’s pursuit of Maddison dragging on for so long did they want him that badly in the first place?

Take the case when the news was broken by the press that Newcastle was at an advanced stage of signing Tonali – the deal was almost 90% done, on the other hand, the pursuit of Maddison was protracted and suggested that Newcastle’s hierarchy was unsure about the deal

When the Magpies want a player they move quickly and without noise, with the example of the surprise signing of Nick Pope Last summer being no different.

Certainly, It appears that Newcastle was put off by Leicester City’s high valuation (over 40 million pounds), in some ways, Maddison’s eye-watering wage demands likely contributed to this decision, with Newcastle not wanting to break their wage structure, especially with FFP concerns.

Such concerns regarding wages were reported when Newcastle seem to turn their attention towards Serie A target - midfielder Nicolò Barella.

Some media outlets have suggested that will Maddison will (£)170,000 per week following his move to Tottenham, and as mentioned the Magpies were not keen to do this for the player considering his age, and injury record – not to mention the patchy form he showed last season.

With Maddison off the cards, Newcastle will hope to land Bundesliga ace Dominik Szoboszlai, which will be a tough prospect considering many top European clubs are vying for the signature of the sought-after Hungarian attacker.