Tottenham Hotspur to submit opening offer for James Maddison

Tottenham Hotspur are preparing to submit an opening bid for James Maddison, according to the Telegraph.

Following Leicester City’s relegation to the Championship, Maddison is expected to secure a move away this summer, following in the footsteps of Youri Tielemans and Caglar Soyuncu.

The Foxes have set an asking price of around £60 million to part ways with their most-prized asset amid interest from Newcastle United and Tottenham.

Aiming to steal a march over Newcastle in the pursuit of Maddison, Spurs are now poised to table an opening offer worth a guaranteed £40m plus add-ons and further instalments.

With just one year left on Maddison’s contract, it remains to be seen how firm a stance Leicester will take on their valuation of the 26-year-old.

He racked up an impressive 19 direct goal involvements in 30 games during the recently-concluded Premier League campaign.

Maddison is not the only Leicester player currently of interest to Tottenham as they are also eyeing a move for Harvey Barnes ahead of the start of the new season on August 11.

Tottenham reportedly submitted a joint £50m bid for both players, which was rejected outright.

Barnes is also wanted by West Ham United and Leicester will be keen to resolve his and Maddison’s future before the start of their pre-season campaign in Thailand and Singapore next month.

While it is unclear if Spurs will continue to pursue a deal for Barnes, they are focused on intensifying their efforts to land Maddison.

Having agreed a deal for Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario as their first signing of the Premier League transfer window, Tottenham are expected to pursue the acquisition of a left-sided centre-back.

The north Londoners have been linked with Edmond Tapsoba, Aymeric Laporte, Tosin Adarabioyo and Micky van de Ven.