FINISHED DEAL: Postecoglou ‘delighted’ by pursuit of £120m star approved (CONGRATULATIONS)

FINISHED DEAL: Postecoglou ‘delighted’ by pursuit of £120m star approved (CONGRATULATIONS)

Tottenham Hotspur could up the ante in their pursuit of a £60million star in the coming days

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is ‘delighted’ that Leicester City star James Maddison was already ‘on the radar’ ahead of his arrival and the Hotspur Way recruitment drive could go up a notch in the coming days, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.

Postecoglou, who was appointed as Spurs’ new head coach earlier this week, will be looking to bolster the squad he has inherited in north London.

Tottenham transfer news – James Maddison
According to talkSPORT, Tottenham have opened talks with Leicester after setting their sights on winning the race for Maddison’s signature.

The report suggests Postecoglou is keen to move quickly in the transfer market and the England international, who has been identified as a top target, could cost as much as £60million.

It is understood that Tottenham are facing stiff competition from Newcastle United as they look to land Maddison following Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League.

Respected journalist Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that the creative midfielder could be Spurs’ most expensive signing of the summer if he opts to head to the capital instead of Tyneside.

Maddison is set to enter the final year of his Leicester contract, which is worth £110,000-per-week, at the end of the month.

What has Dean Jones said about Maddison?
Jones understands that Tottenham are now able to up the ante in their pursuit of targets after the appointment of Postecoglou.

The transfer insider is aware that the former Celtic chief was pleased to learn that Maddison was already on Spurs’ shortlist of potential arrivals before moving into the hot-seat.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “Spurs are able to step up their recruitment from this week and one of the really exciting things fans can look forward to is which creative player will land.

“The way Postecoglou sets up his teams is always with a focus on attack, and he wants to entertain, so he is delighted James Maddison was already on the radar.

“The days of boring Spurs displays should be a thing of the past and a signing like this would be a great sign of intent.”

Would Maddison be a good signing for Tottenham?
Although he was unable to keep Leicester in the top flight, Sofascore data highlights that Maddison found the back of the net every 248 minutes and created 12 big chances during the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

The 26-year-old, who has been on the Foxes’ books since completing a switch worth up to £24million five years ago, would make Tottenham even more of a force in the final third of the pitch.

Maddison racked up 19 goal contributions ahead of the domestic season reaching its climax last month and would thrive off linking up with the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min if they remain in the capital.

The former Norwich City man also has an abundance of Premier League experience, having made 163 appearances in the competition, and that will be a further attraction for Postecoglou.

WhoScored handed Maddison an average match rating of 7.24 as he fought to keep Leicester away from the Championship, but their relegation could play into Tottenham’s hands.

Spurs: James Ward Prowse on Levy’s radar
BY
BROGAN CLASPER
PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO
The arrival of Ange Postecoglou could see a major overhaul of personnel in north London and it seems a midfielder is on their radar.

Tottenham Hotspur are a side who have been mentioned in the expected pursuit to sign James Ward-Prowse this summer following Southampton’s relegation.

How much is Ward-Prowse worth?
It was a season to forget for both Spurs and the Saints with both hugely underwhelming their fanbases, however, Southampton’s will provide bigger consequences.

The Saints ended the campaign rock bottom of the Premier League table and, therefore, will play second-tier football next season and likely lose some of their star players.

Although Spurs will have to go into the new campaign without any European football to look forward to, it will provide Ange Postecoglou with an opportunity to instil his philosophy at the club.

And it will be intriguing to see what changes he brings over the coming months in the transfer window as he will likely be keen to stamp his influence on the starting XI.

One player who is expected to bring in big money for the south coast side is the Englishman, Ward-Prowse, with reports (via SportBible) suggesting the Saints will be looking for a bid in the region of £52m for his services.

Whether or not a team will be willing to part with that sum of money for him is another question, though.

However, it is apparent he will have a lot of potential suitors as insider Alex Crook explained when speaking about the 28-year-old on TalkSPORT:

“Newcastle have got him on their list, as I understand it. I don’t believe he’s at the top of that list. And again, Southampton I think are asking for quite a substantial fee.

“Tottenham have been mentioned as well and you could see him improving their midfield. Wolves would like to sign him, as I understand it, but they think he might go to a club higher up the food chain.”

How much does Ward-Prowse earn?
The £100k-per-week England international has played a huge role in Southampton’s side for a number of years now having started every single game in the Premier League this season (via Transfermarkt).

And during his time on the south coast, Ward-Prowse has established himself as one of the league’s most fierce free-kick takers.

But it is not just free-kicks in which he scores with the 28-year-old chipping in a total of nine goals in the Premier League alone this season (via Transfermarkt).

Upon his arrival at Celtic, Postecoglou made some major changes in the Bhoys’ midfield with the additions of Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley.

So it will be interesting to see if he also looks to do similar at Spurs when he has the chance to assess his options of Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp.

However, if the Saints are holding out for in excess of £50m this summer, then perhaps this is a deal which Spurs may have to forget about considering they are reportedly in talks to sign the £60m-rated James Maddison.

But this is a player who has been hailed as a “machine” by some in the media despite the struggles Southampton endured over the course of the 2022/23 campaign.