James Maddison Close to Agreeing New Leicester City Contract
By Tom Gott
Leicester City midfielder James Maddison is close to agreeing a new long-term contract at the King Power Stadium.
The 23-year-old has been an excellent signing for the Foxes since joining from Norwich City back in 2018, and his performances have seen him attract interest from the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal recently.
United specifically were reported to have made an offer of £45m plus midfielder Jesse Lingard for Maddison during the transfer window - a bid that was, unsurprisingly, rejected.
To protect against further interest from rival clubs, Leicester are keen to tie Maddison down to a new contract, and The Telegraph note that the two parties are close to agreeing a lucrative deal, with negotiations expected to be concluded during the winter break.
Maddison still has three years to run on his existing deal, but Leicester want to reward him with a bumper, long-term commitment to ensure he remains happy at the King Power Stadium for the foreseeable future.
He is set to be rewarded with a huge pay rise on his current £55,000-a-week contract, and the deal is not expected to include a release clause.
The Foxes were burned after putting a £32m exit clause in N'Golo Kanté's contract in 2015, allowing him to seal a bargain switch to Chelsea the following summer, and now they try and avoid using such clauses.
Leicester clearly have no intention to sell, but this new contract would allow him them to demand a huge fee if they were ever to sell the Englishman.
United's need for a player like Maddison may have been addressed after the signing of Bruno Fernandes this January. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side continue to be linked with young, British talent.
Maddison has made 68 appearances for the Foxes, racking up 16 goals and ten assists in all competitions and establishing himself as one of the finest creative midfielders England has to offer.
He has been in inspired form this season, firing Leicester up into third in the Premier League table, and they currently look set to seal Champions League qualification with relative ease.
He was rewarded with his first call-up to Gareth Southgate's England squad in September, before making his debut two months later in a 7-0 win over Montenegro.