Liverpool are interested in signing Leicester City’s playmaking wonder James Maddison this summer, in a move that would strengthen the midfield
According to Football Insider, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has a “active interest” in the English maestro and is mulling a summer move.
Liverpool are not alone in their pursuit of the player’s signature, with the likes of wealthy Premier League clubs Manchester City and Newcastle United also interested.
Maddison’s contract with the Foxes expires in 2024, and despite the efforts of the Leicester board, no progress has been made in negotiations. If no progress is achieved by the end of the current league season, the 25-year-old might be allowed to leave, with a fee of £60 million reportedly being suggested.
Is Maddison comparable to De Bruyne?
Liverpool are striving to finish in the top four following a tumultuous season after so many years of unflinching might under Klopp’s tutelage; missing out on Champions League football would be disastrous for last season’s FA Cup and Carabao Cup champions.
The midfield’s efficacy has been cast in a foreboding light, with The Athletic stating last winter that the static and frail character of the once-dominant central region of the pitch was badly impeding the side’s chances of fluidity and success.
As a result, acquiring Maddison would undoubtedly check every box in an effort to improve this.
He has played a key role in Leicester City’s recent success, winning the FA Cup, the Community Shield, and scoring 54 goals and providing 37 assists. Journalist Josh Bunting has branded him a “monster” in the process.
Yet his nine goals and five assists in 18 league games this season have been important for a team fighting to avoid relegation – Leicester are two points off the bottom three after 25 games.
According to FBref, the £110k-per-week star ranks among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for goals and the top 10% for assists per 90, and his calibre is demonstrated when he is compared to City prodigy Kevin De Bruyne.
Since his £55 million transfer from Wolfsburg in 2015, De Bruyne has been the Premier League’s leading offensive midfielder; the 97-cap Belgian has won four league titles, five League Cups, and the FA Cup during his time at the Etihad Stadium, and he ranks among the top 1% of midfielders in Europe for goals, assists, and shot-creating actions per 90 minutes.
With Maddison providing a comparable degree of direct danger and creative flair, Liverpool could shape and nurture the “world-class” machine lauded by England manager Gareth Southgate, and bring a shine to the center that has been lacking at Anfield for several seasons.
Given this, a move for Maddison would provide Liverpool with the clinical edge they have been lacking in midfield, and while Klopp’s new-look frontline’s recent 7-0 demolition of rivals Manchester United is an indication of fruitful things to come, a fresh force from the center would go a long way to cementing the engine for years to come.
Similar to De Bruyne’s influence at Manchester City.
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