An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in signing James Maddison ahead of the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

According to Football Insider, the Magpies are plotting a fresh bid to sign the England hopeful as Dan Ashworth looks to bolster the squad for the second half of the season.

The report claims that the club failed with offers to snap him up in the summer and that they were willing to pay up to £50m for his services. However, Leicester value him at around £60m and were not prepared to accept Newcastle's advances for anything below that figure.

It is stated that they have remained in contact with the player's representatives and that Eddie Howe has given the green light to pursue him once again in the winter as he is a big fan of the former Norwich and Coventry playmaker.

Howe's own Mason Mount

Ashworth can land the Newcastle head coach his own version of Chelsea and England's Mason Mount by securing a deal for Maddison in January.

They are both young and English attacking midfielders who can also play out wide, and they have both proven that they can deliver consistently in the Premier League.

FBRef lists them as similar players and they are both extremely creative individuals who can unlock defences at the top level. Mount (0.35) and Maddison (0.34) both rank in the top 14% in Europe's top five leagues over the last 365 days for assists per 90 and this illustrates their ability to play killer passes in the final third.

The Chelsea man enjoyed a stellar campaign in the Premier League last term as he racked up 11 goals and ten assists, creating ten 'big chances' for his teammates in 32 appearances.

Maddison, who was previously dubbed "world-class" by England boss Gareth Southgate for his set-piece delivery, caught the eye for Leicester with 12 goals and eight assists in the English top-flight, whilst creating 11 'big chances' from the middle of the park.

These statistics show that both of them had a similar production rate for their respective clubs as they scored and assisted goals on a regular basis. They are both midfielders with room to improve, with both being under the age of 26, and have the quality to be match-winners in the Premier League.

Therefore, Howe can find his own version of Mount by signing the Foxes gem in January to improve his team's attack.