‘Personal terms agreed…’ Tottenham sensationally move ahead of Newcastle in race for £55m target

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly ‘agreed personal terms’ with Leicester City attacker James Maddison, who is one of Ange Postecogolou’s primary targets.

Newcastle United are also interested in signing the England international. However, it seems Spurs are now leading the race for his signature.

Maddison is expected to leave Leicester this summer after they were relegated to the Championship. However, despite his team’s dismal season, the 26-year-old put in some admirable performances.

In 30 Premier League appearances, he scored 10 goals and made nine assists. This gives him an impressive average of 0.63 goal contributions per game.

Indeed, Maddison’s excellent form earned him a regular spot in Gareth Southgate’s England team. And, as mentioned, caught the attention of Tottenham and Newcastle.

It has looked like a 50/50 race between the two clubs for some time. But, Spurs have now sensationally moved into the lead for Maddison.

This will come as a major boost to Postecgolou, who is charged with revamping his squad after Tottenham endured a disappointing 2022/23 campaign.

Bringing in a top quality player like Maddison is a step in the right direction. But, nothing is finalised just yet.

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Maddison ‘agrees terms’ with Tottenham

According to reputed transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham have now ‘agreed personal terms’ with Maddison.

On Twitter, he wrote: “Tottenham have agreed personal terms with James Maddison as negotiations with Leicester are finally advancing — talks are underway.”

“Understand Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is very active on this deal, trying to get it done as soon as possible.”

Now, the only thing left for Tottenham to negotiate is a transfer fee with Leicester. But, this may not be straightforward.

Indeed, the Foxes have slapped a £55m price tag on Maddison.

Newcastle have already said that they won’t pay that much for a Championship player with one year remaining on his contract.

Spurs have made no such pledge, but Daniel Levy is known to be a shrewd negotiator. So, it’s likely they will try and reduce that fee as much as possible.

However, Maddison is widely considered to be one of Postecoglou’s biggest targets. Therefore, it looks increasingly likely that he will be a Tottenham player next season.

Whether or not he will be playing alongside his England teammate Harry Kane, however, is another question altogether.

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