Exclusive: Leicester Confident Over New James Maddison Contract - Youri Tielemans Next in Line
Leicester midfielder James Maddison is considering signing a new contract with the club, despite interest from Manchester United.
The 22-year-old has been one of the standout performers for Brendan Rodgers' side this season, helping fire Leicester to a surprise second in the Premier League table.
Maddison's sensational form saw him rewarded by England manager Gareth Southgate this past week, winning his maiden international cap against Montenegro in the Three Lions' penultimate Euro 2020 qualifier.
But it's speculation over his future that has started to dominate the headlines, ever since reports emerged in August suggesting Manchester United were interested in concluding a deal in the region of £80m.
Maddison only moved to King Power Stadium from Norwich last summer for a fee of £25m, and is contracted to the club until 2023. However, the club are keen to tie him down to fresh terms in order to fend off interest from potential suitors.
The Foxes are confident that Maddison will sign a new deal, despite losing Harry Maguire to the Red Devils over the summer, with a source telling 90min: "Leicester are very confident that James will be signing a new deal.
"He loves playing with this group and he doesn't see any reason to move at the moment and Leicester will put him on wages befitting of his form as one of the Premier League's top midfielders."
The MEN have also reported that Maddison is contemplating signing a new contract, though any decision could be left until the end of the season. He is, however, known to be a close friend of Maguire's, and Old Trafford insiders believe that Maddison could be swayed into moving to Manchester, much like the former Sheffield United defender was.
The report adds that United plan on deciding their priority targets for the summer by January, with Maddison - who will then be 23 - viewed as the ideal profile of player that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to recruit.
Leicester's priority may be keeping Maddison, but 90min exclusively understands that a fresh deal for Youri Tielemans is also on the club's agenda. The Belgian midfielder, like Maddison, has earned plenty of plaudits for the way he has performed at King Power this season, and club chiefs are wary that he may be generating interest from Europe's top brass.
In order to fend off interest, Leicester are planning on offering Tielemans fresh terms - even though he only signed a permanent contract at the club in July, after initially joining on loan from Monaco in January.
Ben Chilwell is another Foxes player attracting interest from elsewhere,
with Manchester City and Chelsea both keen. Leicester are keen to hold on to him too, but if any of the three are to depart the east Midlands, he is the one most likely to leave at present.
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