Arsenal are considering a move for James Maddison, who is now ‘top’ of the club’s summer shortlist, but they’ll have to splash out £60m+.

Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League - King Power Stadium Leicester City's James Maddison during the Premier League match at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. Picture date: Sunday, May 23, 2021. Copyright: Mike Egerton
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur – Premier League – King Power Stadium Leicester City’s James Maddison during the Premier League match at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. Picture date: Sunday, May 23, 2021. Copyright: Mike Egerton

On Wednesday, we covered reports that Arsenal are interested in James Maddison, including one from the Daily Mail claiming they’d made the midfielder one of their main transfer targets.

Interestingly, the Mail’s article has since been updated to add that Arsenal officials are confident a package worth about £60m may get the deal done.

Football.London claim Arsenal are considering a move for Maddison and will target him this summer. A source close to the player told the site that the Leicester City man is ‘top of the list’ for the Gunners.

Similar to the Mail, Football.London suggest Leicester would demand over £60m for Maddison.

Arsenal are expecting to raise a fair bit of money through player sales this summer, and the recent loan they’ve taken out should cover any cash flow problems in the meantime.

All the same, it would be a major investment to splash out £60m or more.

Personally, I’d say it’s a deal Arsenal should absolutely pursue. Maddison racked up 20 goals and assists in all competitions last season, and he’s the sort of signing that could really transform Mikel Arteta’s midfield.

He’s a talented creative player, a goalscoring midfielder, and it’s easy to forget he’s still just 24 years old given how comfortably he’s adapted to the step up to Premier League football over the last few years.

There are certainly no guarantees. What we’re waiting on now is the first real reports from the other side, giving us a hint of Leicester’s stance on a sale. I wouldn’t get too excited before then.