Newcastle will make a third bid for Leicester’s James Maddison in January, according to reports.

The super-rich Premier League side made two offers for the playmaker this summer worth £40million and then £45m, the first of which Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers said ‘might just cover three-quarters of his left leg’.

And as reported by the Times, Newcastle will return to pursuing Maddison if Leicester drop their asking price in the winter transfer window, when the 25-year-old will have just 18 months left on his contract.

The Magpies have spent a whopping £215million on new players since being taken over by PIF, the sovereign wealth fund of sportswashing nation Saudi Arabia – who have an extremely questionable record on human rights abuses.

Despite this, Howe wants to continue spending and is said to be keen to inject creativity and goals to his ailing attack, with the side drawing five of their opening seven Premier League games, and sees Maddison as the solution.

The attacking midfielder has been capped once by England, against Montenegro back in 2019, but is currently out of favour and looks unlikely to make Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Qatar World Cup in November despite his fine club form.

Despite Leicester lying bottom of the Premier League table, Maddison has three goals and an assist, and recorded 12 strikes and eight assists last season.

The former Norwich star is thought to be keen on a move to St James’ Park to boost his England chances – with potential team-mates Nick Pope and Kieran Trippier both regulars in the squad.

If Newcastle put in a sizeable offer, Leicester will have to weigh up whether to sell a star whose value may decrease as his contract ticks down, or to keep a key player for a potential relegation battle.