Newcastle United are unlikely to make a move for Leicester City's James Maddison this month as Craig Hope believes he is out of their price range for the January window.

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According to the Daily Mail journalist, Newcastle's interest in the England midfielder is not expected to lead to anything this month as the Tyneside club look to operate on a smaller budget in January.

Hope was speaking on his YouTube channel following the Toon's draw away at Arsenal on Tuesday night which provided Eddie Howe's men with another big point in their race for a Champions League spot:

"One name I don't expect them to go for this month is James Maddison. I think I've said this before, noises again I heard here tonight that I just don't think a deal is viable.

"I don't think that is the market Newcastle are in at the moment to pay an absolute premium for a player as Leicester would demand."

Not only will the result provide fans in the north-east with a lot of optimism as to what is attainable this season, but with reports of Maddison pining for Champions League football, it will potentially improve their hopes of landing the 26-year-old.

High demand

The Leicester midfielder has been linked with a potential move to Newcastle for a number of months now with reports suggesting the Magpies saw two separate bids for the 26-year-old rejected in the summer.

However, they are not the only club believed to be looking at Maddison with Newcastle's top four rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, also credited with an interest in the player during the summer.

If this is the case, landing a spot in the Champions League, potentially ahead of Spurs, could be absolutely critical for Newcastle if they are hoping to land Maddison in the coming months.

And it is no surprise to see clubs that are among the Champions League spots are showing a serious interest in Maddison given what he has shown over the last two seasons at the King Power Stadium.

This season alone, Maddison has provided the Foxes with seven goals and four assists in the Premier League alone following his return of 20 goal contributions last season in the league (via Transfermarkt).

In comparison to Newcastle's Joelinton, Maddison has provided more shot-creating actions per 90 this season as well as providing more progressive passes (via Fbref).

With the Leicester man currently out of action due to an ongoing injury issue, this does allow Newcastle to assess other options this month with a belief they have to work cautiously due to the FFP restrictions on Tyneside.