Tottenham Hotspur are now leading the race to sign Leicester City star James Maddison as manager Ange Postecoglou looks to craft a team capable of competing at the top of the Premier League.
What's the latest on James Maddison to Spurs?
That's according to The Athletic, who claim that the 26-year-old is closing on a move to Tottenham, with Fabrizio Romano corroborating the news with claims that chairman Daniel Levy has now "agreed personal terms", with negotiations "finally advancing."
Spurs are hoping to sign the England international for a fixed fee of £40m plus additional add-ons, while the Foxes are holding out for £60m, which is considered exorbitant given the club's relegation from the top-flight and Maddison having just one year left on his current deal.
Newcastle United have also been heavily linked with a move after failing with a £50m bid last summer, but after agreeing a €70m (61m) deal for AC Milan maestro Sandro Tonali, Postecoglou has the lead in the pursuit for the coveted midfielder.
How good is James Maddison?
It has been a period of uncertainty and strife in the Lilywhites camp, with the exit of Antonio Conte marking the fourth managerial dismissal in as many years; Postecoglou's recent appointment was incisive, there is no doubt about that, but whether the attractive philosophy of the Australian boss can be aptly implemented remains to be seen.
The club's interminable wait for silverware continues, but to exacerbate this knowledge, Tottenham's eighth-placed finish in the Premier League has resulted in a failure to qualify for European football for the first time since 2009, and the outfit is crying out for some energy and inspiration.
Enter Maddison. The £110k-per-week ace has been described as a "magician" by Statman Dave and rightly so – the three-cap Englishman posted an impressive return of ten goals and nine assists from just 28 starts in the top division despite Leicester's tepid exit, and he is now fated to return after retaining his merit amid a turbulent campaign.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 13% for shot-creating actions, the top 15% for progressive passes and the top 17% for tackles per 90.
An all-encompassing scope, and one which could play into Postecoglou's hands as he injects a fresh facet into the side, especially given that the "world-class" pro – as Gareth Southgate has dubbed him – could serve up a slice of creativity unseen at Tottenham for some time.
Talisman Harry Kane is one of the most dynamic forwards around, ranking among the top 4% of forwards for progressive passes and the top 10% for shot-creating actions per 90, also plundering 32 strikes last season for good merit.
And Son Heung-min, who has been so imperious on the left wing down the N17 since his £22m arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, scoring 145 goals and supplying 80 assists from 372 matches, could also benefit immensely from Maddison's signing.
It's been an inauspicious year for Tottenham, and it's been a subpar year for Son, with the South Korean badly out of sorts until the latter phase of the year, albeit ending the season with 14 goals and six assists.
The 30-year-old forward did also end the Premier League season with an average of 1.8 key passes per game and eight big chances created, as per Sofascore, with his key pass metric the highest in the Tottenham squad. However, by placing Maddison into the fold as the creative centrepiece, Son could yet find the full scale of his prolific edge again.
In fact, the Foxes star is a great deal more creative than the South Korean, with Maddison averaging 2.3 key passes per game and creating 12 big chances, which trumps anyone in Spurs' squad and could allow Son to focus on the standout facet of his craft: his striking prowess.
Son can also only rank in the bottom 14% in Europe for progressive passes, the bottom 38% for assists and the bottom 49% for shot-creating actions, to underline how the Tottenham target eclipses him with regards to creativity.
Indeed, Maddison would open a melange of opportunities for Postecoglou's squad, and he simply has to be signed to ensure that a return to prominence is forthcoming.