Tottenham Hotspur are open to signing James Maddison before the summer window deadline on September 1st, according to transfer insider Dean Jones...

What's the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the Eurosport journalist delivered a fresh claim on the situation. He said:

"If they’re looking at James Maddison, which they are open to, then there has to be a realistic chance that there are other players on the list too who are going to be top players."

Recently, Premier League rivals Newcastle United saw a bid rejected for the 25-year-old, with The Times claiming that Leicester City were after a fee in the region of £50m.

It's also thought that the Midlands outfit are in need of selling some of their star players if they are to strengthen Brendan Rodgers' squad in the final few weeks of the window, as per the Telegraph's John Percy.

Conte likes Maddison

Having conducted plenty of their business early, it appears as if Spurs are only one or two pieces away from a near-perfect summer of activity. One of the gaps that needs filling is in midfield, where manager Antonio Conte wants a creative option.

It's believed that the Italian head coach is a big fan of Maddison.

"It's absolutely true that Conte likes the player a lot, so let’s see where that one develops between now and the end of the window," CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs revealed to GIVEMESPORT last week.

The English playmaker is certainly capable of providing Conte with what he needs behind the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son - last season, Maddison provided a whopping 30 goal contributions (18 goals, 12 assists) in 53 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Back in June, such form led to The Athletic's Rob Tanner deem him to be 'one of the Premier League's chief creators.'

Meanwhile, The Times' chief football writer Henry Winter claimed that Maddison is a "special talent" and the Foxes gem was also praised by his manager, Rodgers, who said (via the Leicester Mercury):

"I saw some highlights, talking about KDB [Kevin De Bruyne] scoring 18 goals - he’s playing in a top team, James has had to work for every goal, he's not had any penalties. He’s been outstanding."

Therefore, if Spurs were able to beat the Magpies to his signature, then it would be quite a big coup indeed.

If you're spending that much on a player (£50m), you'd hope that he's going to do the business and on the above evidence, it's clear that Maddison has proven experience in the big time and would surely be an instant hit under a manager like Conte.

With the Italian wanting creativity, they should look no further than Maddison, who eclipsed Kane and equalled Son for goal contributions last term.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt "freak" injury blow ahead of Premier League opener...