Newcastle United spent much of the summer window chasing Leicester City playmaker James Maddison, with the Magpies having seemingly identified the Englishman as a top target as they looked to bolster Eddie Howe's midfield ranks.

The Tynesiders reportedly made an offer of around £50m in order to prise the 25-year-old from the King Power Stadium, albeit with the Foxes said to be holding out for more than £60m, with manager Brendan Rodgers seemingly reluctant to sell despite the player having just under two years left on his existing deal.

While there has been talk of another swoop for the former Norwich City man in January, at present the northeast side have been left to rue their failure to get a deal over the line, with the one-cap menace having started the new campaign in stunning form for the Midlands outfit.

The creative gem notably showcased his brilliance in the crucial 4-0 triumph over fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest on Monday evening, easing the pressure on the aforementioned Rodgers to help steer the club to just their first win of the season following a convincing home display.

Maddison had set his side on their way to victory after netting a deflected effort past a helpless Dean Henderson early on, before doubling his tally just ten minutes later with a curling free-kick from just outside the box which again evaded his compatriot.

The £110k-per-week sensation then capped a fine outing by teeing up teammate Patson Daka with a clever pullback late on, ensuring that he now has five goals and two assists from his opening seven league games of the season.

That "flawless" performance - as described by Statman Dave - has seen the £45m-rated ace continue the form he has showcased over the past year or so, having scored 18 goals and laid on 12 assists in all competitions last term.

Such has been his remarkable consistency, only Manchester City starlet Erling Haaland (17) has provided more goal contributions in the top-flight than the Coventry-born gem since 11 May, with his tally of 14 on par with Kevin De Bruyne and one ahead of Three Lions skipper, Harry Kane.

Equally, the midfielder has also outperformed the latter man with regards to non-penalty goals, as he notably ranks in the top 4% in Europe's top five leagues in that metric, while the Tottenham Hotspur man ranks in just the top 25%, while he also betters the striker with regards to assists, ranking in the top 8% in that regard, while Kane is only in the top 12%.

To think that Maddison has still been unable to force his way into the international set-up under Gareth Southgate is still something of a headscratcher, having been given the backing of Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to secure a place in the England squad moving forward.

As for those at St James' Park, the Magpies have been left to watch the dynamic ace thrive after he had seemingly "wanted" to leave his current club in the recent window - according to pundit Ian Wright - with that failed pursuit no doubt a real source of frustration for both Newcastle and their supporters.