Leicester once rejected a £70 million offer for a star player

Leicester City reportedly once rejected a £70 million offer for star player James Maddison. This apparently happened less than a year ago.

Every team needs a maverick like James Maddison. That’s it, that’s my statement and I’m sticking by it! He may not always do what you want him to on the field – or off it, Ayoze Perez’s house party is one particularly terrible, or brilliant, example of that – yet his ability to win a goalless, drab game with one exquisite flick, through ball or shot is a pricy commodity.

Arsenal and other clubs are currently discovering just how expensive a proposition it may be to take the playmaker away from King Power Stadium. Leicester bought the No.10 for around £20 million in June 2018 from Norwich City.

I remember disagreeing with a Tottenham Hotspur supporter at the time, who claimed Spurs wouldn’t blow £20m on a Championship level player. To which I replied ‘he’s a future Premier League star‘. Which the Maddison now is. In fact, the Foxes could quadruple their investment if they sell the player, so rumoured valuations of between £70-£80m go.

When he was fit in the past campaign he was firing on all cylinders; though persistent hip and back injuries derailed his and LCFC’s progress somewhat. Which illustrates just how impactful an in-form ‘Madders’ is; 11 goals and six assists has generated interest, it appears.

Clubs have previously targeted Leicester City star

According to a report by Daily Mail, Maddison was the previous subject of a huge bid from an unnamed side during the 2020 off-season:

"Arsenal are keen to sign James Maddison from Leicester in the summer windowLeicester rejected a £70million offer from another club this time last yearArsenal believe a deal can be struck if they can present the right offer"