Newcastle need ‘massive offer’ to lure £60m star

Newcastle United may struggle to signLeicester City and England attacking midfielder James Maddison in January, with the Foxes man preferring to wait until the end of the season to decide whether he wants to make the move to St. James’ Park to join Eddie Howe’s side, according to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs.

The 26-year-old is currently on World Cup duty with Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad in Qatar

According to the Northern Echo, Maddison is still at the top of Newcastle’s wanted list, with the Magpies having made an offer in the region of £50m for the Leicester man’s services in the summer, as per Sky Sports, with The Guardian reporting that the Foxes were looking for closer to the £60m mark for his services.

The Echo also report that the north east club have identified 18-year-old midfielder Andrey Santos from Brazilian club Vasco da Gama as a transfer target, as the club looks to cherry-pick some of the globe’s best young talent, in the same way they secured the signature of Central Coast Mariners and Australia strikerGarang Kuol, who is also just 18 years of age.

However, with the club currently sitting third in the Premier League table during the league’s break for the World Cup, Howe will be hoping that PIF can help to continue to improve his squad as the side look to secure an unlikely Champions League finish this season.

And Jacobs believes that it may be a “struggle” for Newcastle to secure the services of Maddison in January unless they make a “massive offer.”