Man Utd target James Maddison taking transfer speculation as ‘compliment’ as Solskjaer eyes £60m Leicester midfielder
LEICESTER CITY talisman James Maddison is taking any speculation about a possible move to Old Trafford in his stride amid strong interest from the Premier League giants.
The 22-year-old – who is set to face France with the England Under-21s tomorrow – claimed he is unfazed by the transfer rumours surrounding him amid reports he is worth more than £60million.
Instead of a distraction, Maddison claimed the talk around his future should be a “compliment” – and means he is doing something right on the pitch.
Now a mainstay in the Leicester side, he stepped his game up even further under new boss Brendan Rodgers, drawing the eye of the top clubs – including Manchester United.
But when asked whether the rumours affected him, he told Sky Sports News: “No, you have just got to ignore that and take it all in your stride.
“As a 17-year-old boy, I’d started five games for Coventry and saw on my phone that I was being linked with Tottenham and Liverpool.
“With transfer talk, you need to take it as a compliment that people are even talking about you, it won’t distract me.”
Having only signed from Norwich for a modest £22m last season, Maddison set the King Power Stadium alight with a series of blistering attacking performances – scoring and assisting seven goals.
While his performances weren’t enough to earn him a place in Gareth Southgate’s senior squad for the Nations League, he caught the eye at club level.
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A stellar season meant he inevitably attracted the interest of the Premier League’s upper echelon of teams – with Manchester United in prime position to sign the playmaker.
But Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer will need to convince the player that the grass is greener at Old Trafford – even if the two clubs manage to negotiate a fee.
And with the Leicester hierarchy set to double Maddison’s wages with a bumper new contract, they’ll need to act quickly to secure his services.