An Arsenal move for Leicester City’s James Maddison doesn’t look realistic this window, according to David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano.

Reports linking Arsenal to James Maddison have been growing again this week, particularly in the wake of the news that the Gunners could look to pursue a part swap deal with Leicester City.

Reliable sources suggest Leicester are interested in Ainsley Maitland-Niles, adding further fuel to the rumour. Unfortunately, David Ornstein doesn’t seem so sure we’ll see any progress on a move for Maddison.

“That’s not one that I can see developing,” Ornstein said. “I think that would be a huge stretch of Arsenal’s finances and I’m not sure it’s realistic, especially with Smith Rowe signing a new contract.”

Ornstein added on Twitter that Smith Rowe is now the priority at 10 for Arsenal, so whilst the club are still looking to recruit in that area, he’s just not sure they’ll go to the level required to sign Maddison.

It’s not just Ornstein, either. Speaking on The Arsenal Lounge YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano also expressed doubts about the potential move.

“My feeling on Maddison has always been, talking with people close to Leicester, is that it will be really difficult because the price is so high,” Romano said.

“It’s true that Arsenal have an interest in the player, it’s true that they consider him perfect for their playing style, so they consider him as a potentially fantastic signing.

“But at the moment it’s complicated with Leicester, so if the conditions change, maybe they can try, but at the moment, it’s not an advanced negotiation.”

It’s clearly not the case that either reporter is completely ruling out a move for Maddison. It just doesn’t look realistic at the moment. If things really progressed with Leicester’s interest in Maitland-Niles, maybe that would help, but for now, it’s a long shot.