Newcastle's priority is to pursue a deal for midfielder Sandro Tonali from AC Milan; the fee is expected to be around £55m; £50m-rated James Maddison remains a target but the price tag would make a deal difficult; Tottenham are also interested in signing Maddison
Thursday 22 June 2023 15:29, UK
Newcastle United remain interested in James Maddison, but doing a deal for the England international may be more difficult if they manage to complete the signing of AC Milan's Sandro Tonali.
The Magpies are pushing ahead with a potential £55m deal for Tonali, and then will reassess the Maddison situation if and when a transfer is complete.
Sky Sports News has been told - with Leicester City demanding more than £50m for Maddison - Newcastle currently could not afford to buy him and Tonali without the risk of falling outside financial fair play rules.
As a result, manager Eddie Howe has decided a defensive midfielder like Tonali is a bigger priority than the more attacking Maddison.
Newcastle's hierarchy also feel they already have good options with players of a similar profile to Maddison, particularly in Bruno Guimaraes.
However, Newcastle haven't ruled out the possibility of an agreement with Leicester later in the window, if the newly-relegated club were prepared to drastically reduce their asking price, or if Howe decides he wants to try to finance the deal by selling another player.
Maddison currently has one year left on his existing Leicester contract.
That leaves Tottenham currently in the driving seat for any potential Maddison transfer, although they are still a long way from Leicester's valuation.
Manchester United have been long-time admirers, but they are currently pursuing a deal for Mason Mount instead.
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
