Newcastle United have been interested in Leicester City's James Maddison for an age and are now believed to be leading the race for the England international.
What's the latest on James Maddison to Newcastle?
That's according to Sky Sports, who state that while Tottenham Hotspur hold a vested interest in the 26-year-old playmaker, Newcastle are the most likely destination for the relegated outfit's star man, who has just one year left on his current contract.
The Toon attempted to sign him in January and also failed with a £50m bid last summer, but the groundwork forged at this point could be enough to convince Maddison to join the thriving fold on Tyneside.
That same £50m fee could well be required once again, though, given the Foxes have fallen from the Premier League and Magpies technical director Dan Ashworth may be able to whittle the demands down as the transfer window rages on.
How good is James Maddison?
The ultimate testament to the "dangerous" – as hailed by John Bennett – Maddison's abilities is how he has emerged from Leicester's stricken season relatively unscathed, having still exuded confidence and reaped goals and assists in abundance despite relegation from the Premier League.
Scoring ten goals and supplying nine assists from just 28 starting appearances in the top-flight, the one-time Aberdeen loanee's steady flow as a playmaking conduit has affirmed his stature as a first-rate creator, having been hailed as "world-class" by England manager Gareth Southgate.
While he has predominantly operated as a No. 10 this term, occupying space between the bulk of the midfield and the frontline, Maddison's dynamism is perhaps one of the chief reasons manager Eddie Howe is so enamoured with him, having played a wealth of roles and been dubbed a "monster" by journalist Josh Bunting.
It's possible that, given Howe tends to utilise a 4-3-3 attacking formation at St. James' Park, the ace would be played deeper, not quite an orchestrator but perhaps adopting a similar profile to that of Manchester City phenomenon Kevin De Bruyne, who has posted ten goals and 31 assists from 49 matches across all competitions this season as his outfit completed a historic treble.
As per FBref, the "remarkable" – as praised by Pep Guardiola – Belgian ranks among the top 4% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 1% for rate of assists, the top 5% for progressive passes and the top 2% for progressive carries per 90.
Maddison, comparatively, ranks among the top 1% for rate of non-penalty goals, rate of assists and shot-creating actions, and the top 11% for progressive carries per 90, though it is worth remembering that his figures are inflated by his predominance to play further up the field.
Despite this, the "magician", as he was called by Statman Dave, clearly flourishes as one of football's most all-encompassing attacking midfielders, and at Newcastle, a burgeoning outfit now awaiting a return to the Champions League after two decades away, he can take the next step in his development and emerge as one of the globe's foremost footballing gems.