James Maddison: Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Man City all want him but who should the Leicester star sign for?

James Maddison is a reported transfer target for four top Premier League clubs.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City have all been linked with Leicester’s playmaker in recent weeks.

James Maddison has caught the attention of big clubs

Maddison, who joined the Foxes in a £20million deal from Norwich last summer, enjoyed a fine debut campaign in the top-flight, both scoring and assisting seven goals.

Following Leicester’s appointment of Brendan Rodgers in February, the 22-year-old also showed his versatility by dropping further back into midfield, while also doing the odd turn on the left wing.

With four years left on his Leicester deal, the club are in a strong position to demand big money for their wanted man but if they do sell it will be intriguing to see where he moves.

Here, talkSPORT look at the pros and cons for joining United, Liverpool, Spurs or City.

Manchester United

The Reds Devils are set to overhaul their squad this summer with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen to bring fresh faces through the door.

Reports have suggested United will target young British talent, and they have been linked with Swansea’s Dan James and Norwich’s Ben Godfrey. Maddison seems to be a perfect fit for their new transfer policy.

At just 22-years-old, Maddison’s best years are ahead of him. Playing in United’s midfield three alongside Paul Pogba, the pair’s creativity could massively help last season’s underperforming forwards Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a massive rebuilding job at Old Trafford

United also have a track record of giving young players first-team opportunities. Jesse Lingard, Scott McTominay and Rashford, who have come through the ranks at Old Trafford, feature prominently under Solskjaer.

Despite the lure of moving to one of the biggest club’s in the world, Solskjaer’s side are going through a transition period and will be playing in the Europa League next season. The Norwegian has made it clear he wants to shift players this summer after a trophyless season, which saw the club finish sixth in the Premier League.

Solskjaer has also ruled out a title challenge next season, whereas other clubs chasing Maddison will be competing to finish top.

So, Maddison could opt for a move to a more ambitious club.

How Maddison could fit into Manchester United’s XI

Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp’s attacking style of football would suit Maddison. The former Coventry ace has shown that he’s capable of playing in a midfield three at Leicester, despite his preferred No.10 position.

One criticism of Liverpool last season was that their midfield lacked creativity. They relied heavily on their prolific front three of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino – and the trio did not let their team down.

Mane and Salah both won the Golden Boot, while Firmino finished the campaign on a respectable 16 goals.

Jurgen Klopp won his first piece of silverware with Liverpool after his side beat Tottenham in the Champions League final

However, the Reds’ most creative midfielder was 33-year-old James Milner, who registered six assists. That will need to change if Klopp’s side are to challenge Manchester City for the title next term and Maddison’s creativity could take Liverpool to the next level.

With Klopp unlikely to divert from a 4-3-3 formation which brought him a first Champions League trophy, Maddison could easily slot in alongside Jordan Henderson and a deeper-lying Fabinho.

However, competition for places could limit his playing time. Maddison would be competing with Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum, Naby Keita, Adam Lallana and Xherdan Shaqiri for a midfield starting spot, unless some are sold.

That could affect his development further down the line.

How Maddison could fit into Liverpool’s XI

Manchester City

Maddison would be playing with seasoned winners if he joined City this summer. Under Pep Guardiola, City have won the FA Cup and back-to-back Premier League titles and Carabao Cups. A domestic treble was also secured last season.

City will look to strengthen their squad once again to maintain their dominance in England.

Maddison could be an ideal fit for Guardiola’s 4-4-3 possession-based system. With Fernandinho or Ilkay Gundogan playing behind Maddison and Kevin De Bruyne, the creative pair would cause havoc to Premier League defences.

Pep Guardiola wants to add to his treble-winning squad

Learning off the likes of De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and David Silva, while being managed by Guardiola, would only improve Maddison as a player.

But in the past, the careers of young promising English players have stalled at City. Scott Sinclair and Jack Rodwell could not dislodge City’s megastars from the starting line-up and ended up moving on.

Now, Sinclair is not a guaranteed starter at Celtic and Rodwell’s short-term Blackburn deal runs out this month.

As he weighs up his options, Sinclair and Rodwell’s experience at the Etihad could play on Maddison’s mind.

How Maddison could fit into Manchester City’s XI

Tottenham

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is set to back Mauricio Pochettino in the summer transfer market after going two windows without signing a player.

As a natural No.10, Maddison would suit Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 formation, but would be competing with Dele Alli for a starting place, even if Christian Eriksen does leave.

Alli’s 2018/19 season was disrupted by hamstring injuries as the England midfielder scored just seven goals and was substituted in the Champions League final after a disappointing display.

Maddison would be a ready-made replacement for Eriksen given his ball-playing abilities and his expertise at set-pieces. The Leicester star linked up well with Jamie Vardy last term, and could strike up a similar prolific understanding with Harry Kane.

Mauricio Pochettino is set to be given funds to spend on players this summer

Pochettino’s reputation for improving young players, such as Kane, Alli and Harry Winks, could also appeal to Maddison.

Tottenham’s summer business is likely to determine how successful they are next term. Maddison could thrive alongside other exciting additions in a new-look Tottenham side.

However, Maddison could be reluctant to join if the club sell star players Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld. The Dane has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, while Alderweireld has just one year left on his contract.

Tottenham’s progression under Pochettino over the last five years has been superb, but their Champions League final defeat to Liverpool saw the club go another season without a trophy.

And so, Maddison could prefer to move to a club that is used to winning on the big stage.

How Maddison could fit into Tottenham’s XI

It’s going to be a tough choice for Maddison but he finds himself in a fantastic position after a stellar first campaign with the Foxes.

Remember, you can follow all the latest gossip on talkSPORT.com daily transfer blog, which will bring you all the news you need to know this summer.

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