Liverpool are reportedly taking a firm interest in signing James Maddison and could pounce on any uncertainty over his future at Leicester.
The England international has less than 18 months left on his current contract at the King Power Stadium (Transfermarkt), and the Foxes could be open to cashing in on him if there is no sign of a new deal being agreed upon.
Football Insider reported on Monday that “Liverpool have an ‘active interest’ in Leicester City playmaker James Maddison ahead of the summer window, with the 26-year-old ‘in no rush to pen new terms at the King Power Stadium.”
The report added that the Reds are ‘monitoring‘ the player’s situation and ‘are expected to be in the mix for his signature’ if he does not sign a contract extension with Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The Midlands club will seemingly ‘not hesitate to cash in on the England international this summer if they believe a new contract is unfeasible’, with an offer in the region of £60m-£70m likely to be enough to tempt them into selling.
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If Liverpool were to sign Maddison, he could bring echoes of another playmaker to have worked under the Northern Irish tactician. The current Leicester boss has previously said that the 26-year-old ‘is a bit like Philippe Coutinho’ (as per The Athletic, via All Football).
If the Englishman were to replicate the impact that the Aston Villa ace once had at Anfield, he would surely become an instant fan favourite.
Whatever you make of the manner in which the Brazilian departed the Reds for Barcelona five years ago, his impact on Merseyside cannot be dismissed, having netted 54 goals in 201 appearances (Transfermarkt) and been included in the PFA Team of the Year in 2015 (BBC Sport).
Maddison has an even better return for Leicester, also racking up 54 goals but taking just 191 games to do so (Transfermarkt), while he could add a very welcome impetus behind the front three at Liverpool.
The 26-year-old has nine goals so far this season and netted twice as many last term (Transfermarkt). For comparison, Harvey Elliott is our highest-scoring midfielder in the current campaign with five goals, while Fabinho led the way in that regard in 2021/22 with eight.
If the months tick by with no sign of an agreement with Leicester, it could be quite worthwhile for FSG to test the waters with a potentially tempting offer.