According to reports this morning the inevitable departure of James Maddison from Norwich City could be edging closer. A bid of around £20 million has been tabled by Leicester City for the playmaker, if that will be enough remains to be seen.
#lcfc have made a bid of around £20m for Norwich’s James Maddison. Everton and Southampton also v keen but Leicester have made the first serious move… #ncfc #otbc
— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) June 17, 2018
For a Championship club this is big money and it may spark a bidding war that Norwich City will invite. Maddison seems set to leave the club this summer after a fantastic season for a side who were as average as they come. Without Maddison it’s widely regarded by Norwich fans a relegation battle could have been the case.
The bid of £20 million from the Foxes indicates how serious they are about securing this deal and doing it as quickly as possible. Other clubs such as Everton and Southampton are interested and although the Norwich fan’s won’t enjoy hearing that it will be music to the ears of the club who haven’t hid the fact that a major cost-cutting era is underway.
Maddison is a Premier League standard player and the majority who have watched him closely will know another season at Norwich won’t do his development any good. He’s touted as a future England star and Leicester may well be the perfect fit, he will get chances to play and won’t have huge expectations on his shoulders. He is currently recovering from a nasty injury.
He spent a season north of the border at Aberdeen which helped give him exposure in a physical and first-team environment which has certainly helped him kick on at Norwich in the last year. The Premier League was always going to come calling and the financial situation at the club means Norwich are open to offers. The problem is that the other playmaker Wes Hoolahan hasn’t had his contract renewed and in recent windows it’s become obvious player sales aren’t going to be reinvested in the squad, only partly. Josh Murphy has recently left for Cardiff City.
