Following the shock departure of Joao Cancelo on loan to German champions Bayern Munich, Manchester City have been linked to England and Leicester City midfielder James Maddison.
As reported by Jack Gaughan and Tom Collomosse of the Daily Mail, the current Premier League champions are interested in a summer move for the player, with Pep Guardiola said to be looking for more goals from those behind Erling Haaland; Maddison is certainly capable, scoring seven in 14 in the league so far this season.
In the summer, the 26-year-old will enter the last year of his contract at the King Power Stadium and has, so far, shown no intention of agreeing on a new deal, according to the report – leaving Leicester in an uneasy position. Although an estimated fee is not yet known, it is worth noting that Newcastle United reportedly had two bids rejected last summer as they were not close to the asking price of around £60 million.
Gaughan and Collomosse report that City firming up interest in Maddison may be contingent on other factors, including the pursuit of another forward and Phil Foden potentially moving into midfield as a result, whilst the futures of both Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva beyond the end of the season remain unclear.
City also hold an interest in Jude Bellingham, and it was reported by Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail in November that they had held initial talks about signing the Englishman, with insiders believing that the 19-year-old would end up at the Etihad Stadium.
The Blues are eyeing up another forward after not directly replacing Raheem Sterling when he left for Chelsea. AC Milian ace Rafael Leao is being closely monitored, according to the report, and Napoli's Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is expected to have suitors within Europe's elite.
Written by: @TomCayless_
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