There is a bit of a transfer saga developing between Arsenal and Leicester over James Maddison.
Arsenal’s links to Maddison came as a surprise to many earlier in the summer. Now though, it does appear that the Gunners are serious about a move for the 24-year-old and a deal could be on the cards.
In quotes published by the Leicester Mercury on Thursday evening, Brendan Rodgers appeared to suggest no deal was close.
“There’s been nothing that’s come my way. As far as I’m concerned, we haven’t had anything for James.
But his words did hint that a deal may not be off the cards:
“He’s a very talented player but also in the bigger picture, you’ve seen it, all clubs lose players but for us it’s not something we worry about.
Rodgers did then go on to say Maddison was happy at the club, but the manager was unlikely to say anything to the contrary.
The crucial words in his quotes were ‘all clubs lose players’, clearly not ruling out a move for Maddison this summer.
Maddison was left on the bench for many of Leicester’s final games in the 2020/21 campaign and was then left out of England’s Euro 2020 squad. Following that omission, Rodgers said: ‘The one thing you can control as a football player is your fitness. ‘There are things in the game you cannot control if you’re a player, you can’t control the tactics the manager chooses, what position you play in, but you can control your mentality and your fitness.’
It’s been widely reported that Maddison is ‘open to the idea’ of joining Arsenal this summer, and Leicester appear to be willing to sell for the right price.