EXCLUSIVE
Tottenham open talks with Leicester over James Maddison transfer amid Newcastle interest
Tottenham have opened talks with Leicester over a move for James Maddison, talkSPORT understands.
New boss Ange Postecoglou is keen on bolstering his squad as soon as possible.
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And talkSPORT understands that Maddison is a top target at Spurs, where they have opened a dialogue with Leicester following their relegation from the Premier League.
The Foxes are hoping to land a fee as high as £60million for the playmaker, who scored 10 and assisted nine in 30 Premier League appearances this season.
Newcastle also hold a long-standing interest in the 24-year-old, but are unwilling to pay over the odds.
Tottenham are facing an important summer after a miserable year where they finished eighth in the Premier League.
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Spurs chief Daniel Levy sacked two managers in Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini while the club will be without European football next season.
There are also huge question marks over Harry Kane's future amid interest from Real Madrid and Manchester United.
It means that incoming arrivals are more important than ever while the first piece of business Postecoglou wants to get done is sign a creative player.
Tottenham are bereft of playmakers in the current squad where more defensive-minded midfielders dominate such as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp.
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But Maddison certainly ticks the boxes when it comes to attacking output after a fine individual season despite Leicester's relegation.
The Foxes are facing an exodus of players including the former Norwich star, with Harvey Barnes, Caglar Soyuncu and Youri Tielemans all eyeing the exit door.
However, the £60m price-tag prove somewhat steep for Spurs and Newcastle over Maddison.
The 26-year-old does not have a release clause after relegation in his contract.
But Tottenham and Newcastle will still try to drive his asking price down following Leicester's drop into the Championship.
Harry Maguire is also a top target at Spurs in a surprise turn of events.
However, the United star has told Erik ten Hag that he does not want to leave and will fight for his place.
Kyogo Furuhashi has also been identified to bolster Tottenham's attack, who knows Postecoglou well from their time together at Celtic.
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