It seems that Newcastle are very keen on acquiring the services of Leicester City playmaker James Maddison during this transfer window, and don’t look like taking no for an answer.
The magpies had a £40m bid rejected for the player, only to today come back in with a whopping £50m offer including add ons.
It remains to be seen if Leicester will accept the new bid, with Rodgers scoffing at the previous bid made for the player.
“He is really pivotal for us.” said the former Celtic manger.
“There is no way I would want to sell him.”
“£40m bid? I think it might just cover three-quarters of his left leg!”
Rodgers clearly doesn’t want to lose the player, but every player has a price and the Leicester board may force Rodgers’ hand if they deem the new offer to be impossible to turn down.
This is where Celtic could potentially come into the equation.
Rodgers is reportedly a keen admirer of Celtic’s 21 year old midfielder Matt O’Riley, with the player himself admitting he is aware of their interest.
“I’ve heard a bit about the interest from Leicester, but it’s not something I’m thinking about right now.” said O’Riley
“The transfer window is quite crazy with rumours and interest.”
“Right now though, I think Celtic is a good place to be.”
“I have good friends around me, my relationship with the coach is good, and the fans are special.”
“I feel that Celtic is the perfect place for me, but obviously it’s great to have interest because it means I’m playing well.”
O’Riley is clearly enjoying his time at Celtic and he believes this is the best place to develop his career at this moment in time, but if Leicester end up losing Maddison and getting £50m+ for him, there is a very good chance they could turn their attention to O’Riley and make a formal offer.
Celtic won’t be in any rush to sell, we are in a strong financial position currently, but as I said in regards to Maddison, every player has a price, and if Leicester come in and offer big money for O’Riley, it could give our board a tough decision to make.
