Leicester have so far been unsuccessful in trying to convince Manchester United target James Maddison to sign a new contract, claims transfer expert Ian McGarry. McGarry says Maddison wants a similar wage to that being earned by Chelsea teenager Callum Hudson-Odoi. United are keen on signing Maddison this month and reports over the weekend claimed they are willing to offer Jesse Lingard plus cash in exchange for the England international.
McGarry says Leicester and Maddison have been locked in talks over extending his stay at the Foxes since November.
He claims the 23-year-old has been offered £120,000 a week to put him in line with the club’s top earner Jamie Vardy.
However, Maddison is said to want nearer to the £180,000 a week earned by Hudson-Odoi at Chelsea.
“Leicester City have spent the last six weeks or so in contract negotiations with Maddison’s representatives,” McGarry said on the Transfer Window Podcast.
Man Utd transfer news: James Maddison is in talks over a new contract at Leicester (Image: GETTY)
“However, I’m told that those talks so far have failed to reach an agreement.
“They remain very amicable and there is certainly no fallout on either side.
“Maddison again has reaffirmed his commitment to Leicester City, he signed a contract for five years in 2018 when he moved from Norwich City for £22m.
“However, so far I’m told the offer to Maddison, who currently earns £45,000 per week at the club, is to give him parity with Jamie Vardy, who earns £120,000 [per week] plus bonuses.
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“Now, you’d think doubling his wages would be a very, very attractive offer to a young player but I suppose the bar has been set high by contracts that have also been signed recently by players younger and less influential than Maddison.
“I’m thinking of Callum Hudson-Odoi at Chelsea, who signed a deal worth £180,000 a week.
“And so I suspect those are the numbers that Maddison and his representatives are looking at.”
McGarry also says Maddison’s representatives want a release clause inserted into his new contract.
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Man Utd transfer news: James Maddison is said to want a contract similar to Callum Hudson-Odoi (Image: GETTY)
He added: “Now, the other sticking issue is this, and you can understand why on both sides, is Maddison’s representatives would like to insert a release clause, a set transfer fee, into a new contract, allowing obviously any team that came in for him to equal that clause and therefore Leicester would be obligated to allow him to talk to that club and indeed if an agreement was reached he would leave.
“Leicester don’t want to do that because obviously they’ve seen the inflation in cost of young players, especially young English players.
“Whereas Maddison and his representatives want that because they want the guarantee.”