Arsenal have made James Maddison one of their main transfer targets as they pursue a creative midfielder to replace Martin Odegaard.
The Gunners have begun stepping up work on their planned summer overhaul with Leicester playmaker Maddison added to their shortlist.
And while Arsenal have turned down a £25million Aston Villa offer for Emile Smith Rowe, they have also had a £40m bid for Brighton’s Ben White rejected and added his fellow England new boy Aaron Ramsdale to their list of goalkeeper targets.
Maddison signed a new four-year deal at Leicester worth about £100,000 a week last summer and contributed 14 goals in 16 matches between December and February, before a recurrence of a hip problem effectively ended his chances of gaining a place in the England squad for Euro 2020.
The 24-year-old’s contractual position and homegrown status mean Leicester would be in an extremely strong bargaining position.
They are thought to have rejected an offer from another club worth about £70m last summer, and Maddison described Leicester’s FA Cup final win as the best day of his life.
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