Newcastle decide not to sign £40m star because of Allan Saint-Maximin
Newcastle United are not going to sign James Maddison this summer, and that is partially because of Allan Saint-Maximin.
The Magpies have been relentlessly linked with the Leicester City midfielder for almost a full year now, but the 26-year-old is on the brink of signing for Tottenham Hotspur instead.
Maddison has agreed personal terms with Spurs, with the deal edging towards completion now that they have agreed a £40million fee with the Foxes.
Newcastle will look elsewhere for attacking reinforcements, and reports are starting to come out about why the Magpies opted against bringing the England international to St James’ Park after so much intense speculation.
His wages were probably an issue, with Maddison set to earn £170,000-a-week at Tottenham, while there were rumours that he simply preferred a move to London over the North East.
They will have influenced Newcastle’s decision, and now a new report from the Telegraph has explained how Saint-Maximin impacted the deal.
Newcastle did not think Maddison and ASM could play together
According to the Telegraph, one of the reasons Newcastle opted against signing Maddison was that they did not think he could play alongside Saint-Maximin.
The report states that the club thought Eddie Howe’s team would be less defensively solid and more susceptible to suffering counterattacks if Maddison and Saint-Maximin were in the same side.
Therefore, the Magpies looked elsewhere and brought in the more defensively sound Sandro Tonali, who is due to arrive from AC Milan.
It could prove to be a wise decision, and it is perhaps the clearest indication that Newcastle have absolutely no plans to sell Saint-Maximin this summer. If they did, there is surely no way they would let his presence impact who they sign.
The Frenchman has been heavily linked with a move away, although there have been a lot of stories about him staying on Tyneside. That is apparently what he wants, and seemingly the club feel the same – otherwise they would have made more of an effort to bring Maddison to St James’ Park.
