According to reports in The Telegraph, Everton are one of six Premier League clubs keen to sign Norwich City attacking midfielder James Maddison this summer, and one suggestion in the report suggests that they could be one of the leading contenders to get him.

What's the word, then?

Soccer Football - Championship - Norwich City vs Aston Villa - Carrow Road, Norwich, Britain - April 7, 2018  Norwich's James Maddison celebrates scoring their third goal     Action Images/Alan Walter  EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for fur

Well, The Telegraph says that the Toffees – along with top flight rivals Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton and Hove Albion and Southampton – are all keen to bring the highly-rated 21-year-old to the Premier League this summer.

While the former three are undoubtedly bigger clubs than the Merseyside outfit right now, the fact that The Telegraph says that the England U21 international wants to join a team where he has a realistic chance of regular first team football could see them take pole position in the race for his signature – and the Goodison Park faithful would be happy with that given they urged their club to sign him on Twitter following his performance and assist for Dominic Calvert-Lewin while playing for his country last month.

The report adds that the PFA Championship Team of the Year member is valued at around £25m by the Championship club.

How has Maddison done this season?

He has been outstanding.

The 21-year-old has scored 15 goals and provided a further 11 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions according to Transfermarkt, and he has consistently shown the quality and potential that he has.

https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/fm2mc-onemanteam.mp4

According to WhoScored.com, the attacker has made an impressive 106 key passes in 41 Championship games this term, while he has successfully completed 100 of the 148 dribbles he has attempted.

Could Everton sign him this summer?

Potentially, yes.

As we mentioned previously, Maddison wants a realistic chance of playing regularly and he may feel that he might not get that if he joins Arsenal, Tottenham or Man City.

Meanwhile, Southampton's chances would surely be hugely affected if they suffered relegation to the Championship, while the 21-year-old would likely want to join a slightly more high-profile club than Brighton, potentially leaving the Toffees in pole position.

Despite bringing in the likes of Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Davy Klaassen last summer, the Merseyside outfit have struggled to find a No 10 that has performed consistently, and with Sigurdsson often playing on the left instead there could be a starting role for Maddison in the middle.