It is understood Newcastle’s second bid for Maddison, who has two years left on his deal, was £45m plus £5m in add-ons. Brendan Rodgers has said Leicester, who must increase their transfer budget through sales, will not be exploited by Premier League rivals hoping to capitalize on their financial situation. Wesley Fofana is wanted by Chelsea, who intend to test Rodgers’ insistence that the 21-year-old centre-back is not for sale, and Newcastle’s efforts to increase their attacking options have targeted Maddison and England winger Harvey Barnes. There is skepticism over whether Newcastle will be able to match Leicester’s asking price. Barnes is valued at £60m and Leicester, who expect Arsenal to make a move for Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans, want a similar fee for Maddison. Maddison has proved to be an excellent signing for Leicester since joining from Norwich in 2018 and scored 18 goals last season. Newcastle, who have signed Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Matt Targett, could turn to a left winger. They are interested in Maxwel Cornet, who is likely to leave Burnley after their relegation. The Ivorian, who is understood to have a £17.5m release clause, is also wanted by Everton and West Ham. It is believed that West Ham, who are expected to fail in their bid to sign Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic, would like Cornet on loan. Everton want the 25-year-old, who can play at left-back and as a striker, on a permanent deal.
