When Newcastle United came knocking in search of James Maddison in the summer, Leicester City defiantly repelled their advances.
Newcastle's two bids were immediately knocked back by the Foxes but Micah Richards' praise of the attacking midfielder suggests that the Magpies shouldn't give up the ghost in January.
Richard wrote in the Daily Mail: "Leicester were defeated 6-2 by Tottenham last Saturday but Maddison could not have done any more to turn things Leicester's way — scoring the goal just before half-time that drew them level.
"He played as he always does, with fearlessness and invention, and that's hard to do in a struggling team.
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"Maddison has three goals so far this season. He scored 18 in 53 games last year and I have seen enough of him to feel certain when I say there is so much more maturity in his game
"He can pick a pass and take an excellent set-piece; he works hard, runs miles and is always enthusiastic. But for England, he still gets overlooked.
"Gareth Southgate has been bang on about so many things during his time in charge of England and this is not a view that is intended to cause any kind of diversion. But I just feel a trick is being missed in not giving him an opportunity to see if he can transfer his talents to the highest level."
Maddison has 10 direct goal involvements in his last nine Premier League appearances and has been a shining light during Leicester's dismal start to the campaign.
Despite his strong individual performances, Maddison has once again been left out of the England squad. His international career amounts to just 34 minutes in a 7-0 win over Montenegro in October 2019 and he hasn't played for the Three Lions since.
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