Manchester City

Manchester City

Premier League • England

Man City prepared to rival Newcastle for Premier League star as exit rumours loom over playmaker

Ben Stewart
James Maddison and Harvey Barnes of Leicester

Manchester City are reportedly interested in a move for Leicester City playmaker James Maddison and could rival Newcastle for his signature in the summer.

It’s no secret that Newcastle have had a long-standing interest in Maddison. However, they instead pursued a deal for Anthony Gordon in January instead.

Maddison looks set to remain at Leicester until the end of the season, but the speculation surrounding his future has continued to increase.

His contract at the King Power Stadium runs until the summer of 2024 and he has been reluctant to commit to a new deal as of yet.

According to the Daily Mail, Man City are interested in a move for Maddison and they have even enquired about his availability this month.

Pep Guardiola seems keen on rejuvenating his squad and a move for Maddison could make sense. Erling Haaland has scored the bulk of their goals this season with 25 in the league already.

Other than Haaland and Phil Foden, no other player has scored more than four league goals this season for City. Maddison himself has scored seven goals and provided four assists.

The Leicester City playmaker was in fine form prior to the World Cup and an injury ultimately hampered his chances of making an impact for England.

Man City have a core of English internationals in the squad and Maddison could be their next pickup. Throughout this season, his creative numbers have outshone several City players.

Guardiola looking at an overhaul 

In order to stay on top, Guardiola knows all too well that he needs to keep his squad fresh. Joao Cancelo was promptly shipped off to Bayern Munich after he had struggled to regain his previous form.

The future of several Man City players now looks to be up in the air. Bernardo Silva is one player in particular who will be weighing up his options.

The Portuguese playmaker has been linked with Barcelona and PSG over the past few months. Perhaps Guardiola could see a player like Maddison stepping into Silva’s role.

Silva has featured in the majority of league matches this season, making 15 starts in total. However, his goal return has significantly dipped recently.

The 28-year-old has not scored or assisted a goal in any of his last 19 matches for club and country. He did start the season well though and has seven goal contributions in total.

When asked about Silva earlier in the season, Guardiola explained: “What amazes me about Bernardo is that when the game is going wrong he makes a step forward, he loves to play in this situation. He’s comfortable with it.

“Some players maybe step backwards, and he makes a step forward. That’s why he is irreplaceable in many ways for us.

“He’s so important, he can play in four or five positions. And it’s not just on the pitch, it’s off it too. In the locker room, I want him here so much.”

Guardiola’s side are five points behind Arsenal in the Premier League and have looked off the pace at times this year.

They still stand a good chance of leapfrogging Arsenal though, given that they still have two fixtures against the Gunners to come.

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