Brendan Rodgers delivers James Maddison future verdict amid Newcastle United, Arsenal and Man City interest

Brendan Rodgers believes there’s nothing more Leicester City can do to convince James Maddison to spurn interest from Newcastle United and Arsenal and remain at the King Power Stadium.

The England international was reportedly the subject of a number of unsuccessful bids from the Magpies last summer as they looked to inject further creativity into Eddie Howe’s squad. However, Maddison stayed with the Foxes and made an impressive start to the campaign, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in his 13 games of the season. That form led to a late call-up to the England World Cup Finals squad - although an injury meant Maddison was unable to add to the solitary senior cap he earned in a 7-0 home win against Montenegro just over three years ago.

The knee injury kept Maddison on the sidelines when Leicester fell to a 3-0 home defeat against Newcastle on Boxing Day and he did not make his return until appearing in a 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion last month. The former Norwich City star has started to find form once again and has scored twice as his side collected maximum points from wins against Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur over the last ten days.

That had sparked further speculation Newcastle and Arsenal could reignite their interest in Maddison this summer as he moves into the final 12 months of his current deal at the Kind Power Stadium. Manchester City are also said to have an interest in the attacking midfielder.

Speaking after the win over Spurs, the Foxes boss said of Maddison’s situation: “I think he knows how much he’s loved and the impact he’s had here. It’s just going to be about him and where he sees the next steps of his career. That’s nothing against the club or against anyone, he’s probably a player that wants to play at the very highest level and he’s showing he can do that.

“He’s a top, top player but in the meantime we’re not taking anything away from him, he’s very committed. You see him, he led them out, his chest was out and he absolutely loved it, it was right up his street.”