£86m Man City transfer could impact Newcastle United’s bid to sign James Maddison alternative

Newcastle United are set to miss out on signing James Maddison as Tottenham Hotspur push to complete a deal as soon as possible.

The England international has been a long-term target for the Magpies, who had two offers turned down by Leicester City ahead of the 2022-23 Premier League season.

Further talks have taken place over the last few weeks but, as reported by NewcastleWorld on Friday, they haven’t progressed for two reasons.

Firstly, Newcastle are unwilling to meet Leicester’s rumoured £55million+ asking price for a player entering the final year of his contract.

And secondly, there are issues with Maddison’s personal demands, which are believed to exceed the United’s highest earner.

With negotiations stalling, it appears Spurs are close to winning the race, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claiming personal terms have been already agreed with Maddison.

Discussions between Tottenham and Leicester are understood to be at an “advanced stage” as Daniel Levy pushes for an agreement “as soon as possible”.

Although Newcastle are close to announcing the £60m arrival of Sandro Tonali from AC Milan, Eddie Howe is hopeful of signing another “elite” midfielder i.e an alternative to Maddison.

NewcastleWorld reported last week further talks with RB Leipzig regarding Dominik Szoboszlai have taken place. And according to German publication Bild, the Hungarian’s future could be impacted by whether or not teammate Josko Gvardiol joins Manchester City.

The newly-crowned triple winners have reportedly agreed personal terms with Gvardiol but are yet to agree a fee with Leipzig demanding £86m for the Croatian international, who is under contract until 2027.

Selling Gvardiol would strengthen Leipzig’s hand when it comes to Szoboszlai as they’d be under no financial pressure to do business with Newcastle, according to Bild.

The 22-year-old has a £61m release clause which expires on June 30. Newcastle, ideally, want to negotiate below that figure, if talks do indeed accelerate, but Bild says Leipzig could hold out for that amount because of Gvardiol’s exit.

Szoboszlai enjoyed another impressive campaign in the Bundesliga last season - scoring 10 goals in 46 appearances to help Leipzig qualify for the Champions League and lift the German Cup for the second consecutive season.

The former RB Salzburg man admitted he was open to a new challenge this summer.

If there is interest, I will consider it. Not because I don’t have a good time in Leipzig, but because I have always been interested in challenges.

“On one side of the scale is a good Leipzig, with a coach who trusts me and team-mates who accept me and also believe in me. No footballer can wish for more than that, this is quite an exciting situation.

“At the same time, on the other side, there is the question if I can now take a step towards Europe’s top five or six clubs, should I say no to the challenge? I’ve never been that type. I am in a very good position as I can play in a fantastic club. However, I don’t want 15 years from now to look back on my career as if I didn’t get the most out of it.”