Arsenal are being linked with an ambitious transfer swoop.
Arsenal are reportedly ready to rival Manchester United for the ambitious transfer of Leicester City playmaker James Maddison.
The England international has enjoyed an outstanding campaign in the Premier League, helping Leicester emerge as genuine contenders for a top four spot with his silky skills and eye for goal from midfield.
Earlier this season, Maddison was linked with Man Utd for around £80million in a report from the Daily Star, and it’s easy to see how he could be a great fit for a more established big club.
Now the Mail also claim Arsenal have him on their wish-list for the summer transfer window, which makes sense given the poor form of Mesut Ozil this season and the need for more spark and creativity in that number ten role.
Still, Maddison surely won’t come cheap and may even be worth more than the £80m reported by the Daily Star, so this would surely be a club-record purchase for us if we could get the deal through.
As noted by BBC Sport, Nicolas Pepe is currently Arsenal’s most expensive signing at £72m, so it will be interesting to see if the club is ready to pay that kind of money again so soon following the Ivory Coast international’s slow start in north London.
Maddison, however, looks a generational talent who’d be worth splashing out on, and if we don’t then he will surely end up at United or one of our other rivals, potentially leaving us lagging further behind once again when it comes to challenging for a much-needed place in the top four.