Arsenal are in the market to sign a creative midfielder and are keen to sign Leicester City midfield ace James Maddison. But the Gunners have hit a massive roadblock in their pursuit of the English midfielder as Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers consider Maddison at the same level as Jack Grealish who joined Manchester City in a British record fee. Therefore Maddison won’t come at a cheap price for Arsenal.
Grealish made a move from Aston Villa to City for a record £100 million transfer fee and Rodgers feel that Maddison also is very similar to the former Villa star and hence should be priced accordingly. There are speculations over Maddison’s future and some reports suggest that he might be leaving King Power Stadium this summer. Leicester however are not letting him leave so easily as they would ask for a similar fee that Villa were handed by Manchester City.
Rodgers is aware of the speculations and feels that it is only logical to tread that way if he sees one of his most prized assets depart from Leicester. The Leicester boss believes that Maddison is very similar to Grealish. He told reporters, “I think they are both close. They are both very talented players. Stylistically, I think they’re the same. They are both creators. But I would say they are both totally different. One is a dribbler – one commits people down the sides.
“James is more central and he’s more of a passer. So yes, they are both creative players but stylistically they are both very different. Everyone could see today how hard James works for the team, his quality and how he takes the ball. His eye for the last pass.
“He is a wonderful talent and I thought he was excellent tactically because they really challenge you in that respect. I thought he was brilliant.”
The former Liverpool manager highlighted that Maddison was unlucky as he suffered an injury and that ruined his season last time out. However, he believes that the 24-year-old will have a big season for Leicester.
Maddison has guided Leicester City to FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs but he will have to play a big role if the Foxes intend to finish at the top of the Premier League. Arsenal are also interested in him due to his creative influence but they will have to dig deep and hand a big offer to lure away the 24-year-old midfielder.
