Tottenham Hotspur are on the cusp of completing the signing of Leicester City star James Maddison in a deal that is expected to cost the Londoners somewhere in the region of £40m.
The 26-year-old attacking midfielder, who was an FA Cup winner with the Foxes in 2021, is set to undergo a medical on Wednesday before signing on the dotted line.
Maddison netted ten times for Leicester in the Premier League last season despite City’s eventual relegation and in total, the ex-Norwich man chipped in with 55 goals and 41 assists during his five-year stay at the King Power Stadium.
The schemer will become the first high-profile signing of new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou’s tenure.
How could Spurs line up with James Maddison?
Tottenham’s new Australian task master Ange Postecoglou liked his former charges at Celtic to play a fast paced-dynamic style of football and the 57-year-old favoured a 4-3-3 formation in the majority of his matches while at the helm in Glasgow.
Maddison is a versatile performer, capable of doing a job in multiple positions in the middle and final third, though he spent most of his time in his preferred position at number ten for Leicester last season.
With Tottenham unlikely to be deployed in a tactical structure to fit a player in that role, Maddison could be asked to play slightly deeper as one of the more advanced midfielders.
Maddison averaged 2.3 key passes per game for Leicester in 2022/23 and he could utilise his ability to part defensive lines from a more withdrawn starting berth.
Alternatively, Maddison could be a potent weapon further up the field as part of a three-man attacking trident at Tottenham.
Maddison lodged ten goals and nine assists in 28 Premier League starts last season, highlighting his potency in the final third and the 26-year-old did play on the flanks on 17 separate occasions in the top tier for the Foxes last term.
The Three Lions hopeful featured primarily from the right side when fielded on the wing by Leicester and that would put him in direct competition with Swede Dejan Kulusevski, who Spurs signed permanently from Juventus this summer after a successful loan spell
Tottenham’s summer transfer business
Tottenham Hotspur have been busy market movers so far this summer and alongside tying Kulusevski to a permanent contrast, they have also completed the signing of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Serie A outfit Empoli.
With long-serving stalwart Hugo Lloris tipped to seek out a new challenge this summer, Tottenham are also in the market for a second stopper and a deal to bring David Raya in from Brentford has been worked on since the end of the campaign. The Bees are demanded around £40m for their number one.
Spurs have also been credited with an interest in Manchester United club captain Harry Maguire, a defender they believe they could acquire for less than £35m.
Spanish centre-half Pau Torres was also believed to be on Tottenham’s radar, however, the Villarreal man looks set to join compatriot Unai Emery at Aston Villa instead.
Tottenham have now verbal agreement in place with Leicester to sign James Maddison, here we go! 🚨⚪️ #THFC
Personal terms agreed, deal ready for £40m fee after talks advanced to final stages yesterday night.
Next steps: medical tests, documents being prepared and then signed. pic.twitter.com/KAPgOzQiXO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 28, 2023
