By admin 
Newcastle United have been trying to sign James Maddison for almost a year now, but remain unable to bring him to St James’ Park.
This summer is our best chance of signing the Leicester City midfielder, with Maddison due to leave the King Power Stadium and Newcastle boasting the luxury of being a Champions League club.
However, even that might not be enough to convince the 26-year-old to move to the North East.
Tottenham Hotspur are also chasing the England international, and a recent story from the Northern Echo has stated that Maddison’s preference is to join the North London club over the Magpies. They state that it is because of personal and family reasons, as well as Spurs’ ability to offer Maddison more money.
If that is true, then Newcastle need to end their interest. If we are not his first choice then he is not the right player for us.
Eddie Howe only wants committed players who are going to do whatever it takes for the club. If Maddison thinks a move to London is better for him then fair enough, it is his loss. But Newcastle should not be offering him an alternative if a transfer to Tottenham does not materialise.
Instead, the Toon recruitment team should turn their attention to another player who is being heavily linked with joining Howe’s team this summer.
If Maddison is more keen on joining Tottenham than Newcastle, then it is time for the Magpies to look elsewhere. And that will hopefully lead us to Dominik Szoboszlai.
The RB Leipzig star has been heavily linked with a move to Tyneside, although there have been suggestions that he is too expensive at the moment. Szoboszlai has a release clause worth £60million, which Leipzig want paid in full.
That would make him one of Newcastle’s most expensive signings ever, and it is easy to understand why the Magpies are not keen to part with so much money so early into the transfer window.
But if Newcastle want a player like Maddison and can’t sign the real thing then they have to turn to Szoboszlai. He is capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or out wide just like the England international, and has more longevity due to the fact he is four years younger than the Englishman.
The 22-year-old has been described as ‘special‘, and looks like he has the talent to play the same role that Maddison would at St James’ Park.
He is obviously expensive, but Newcastle have to now focus on the Hungarian if a move for Maddison is a no-go. He will likely cost more than the Leicester star, but it will be worth it in the long run.