James Maddison is open to joining Arsenal this summer, but Leicester City could demand at least £60m for the transfer.

Leicester City's James Maddison reacts during the Premier League match at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. Issue date: Thursday, May 6, 2021. Copyright: Michael Regan
Leicester City’s James Maddison reacts during the Premier League match at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. Issue date: Thursday, May 6, 2021. Copyright: Michael Regan

The Guardian report that James Maddison is open to a move to Arsenal this summer, despite the fact that Leicester City qualified for Europe last season. He feels moving to Arsenal would aid his development after his recent Euro 2020 exclusion.

There’s a suggestion Leicester could follow in the footsteps of previous years by making a major sale to increase their summer budget, and they reportedly could ask for at least £60m to sell the English midfielder.

As for the reports that Arsenal could explore a swap-deal, The Guardian hint that that’s a possibility, but there are no guarantees it would help.

Football.London report that Arsenal have actually already proposed a player-plus-cash deal for Maddison. Given Leicester’s demands, the Gunners have offered different players in the deal via intermediaries to try and bring down the fee.

Negotiations are slow at the moment, but Football.London reiterate that the player is keen.

We’re into the final month of the transfer window, but with Granit Xhaka deciding to stay at Arsenal, you’d have to imagine the focus is on an attacking midfield signing now.

So though this deal may still drag on, expect to see the story really pick up at some stage in the coming weeks – for better or worse.