Arsenal poised to give up potential superstar to land James Maddison

Arsenal are desperate to pry James Maddison away from Leicester City this summer. It may end up costing the Gunners a supreme young talent. 

Mikel Arteta’s desire to revamp Arsenal’s midfield ahead of next season largely depends on the club’s ability to land James Maddison. Predictably, Leicester City are in no hurry to part with the classy midfielder.

That’s forced the Gunners to get creative in their efforts to 24-year-old Foxes star. Reports emanating from Leicester now claim that Arsenal are willing to include midfield starlet Joe Willock in the deal to help seal the deal. The idea is that including Willock would force Leicester to drastically reduce their £60 million asking fee for Maddison.

Arteta’s willingness to sanction a departure for Willock is interesting to say the least. He spent last season on loan at Newcastle but was playing exceptional football by the end of his tenure with the Magpies. His Whoscored.com player rating of 7.13 in 14 matches for Newcastle illustrates just how good he was towards the close of last season.

Is this a mistake for Arsenal?

At the very least, parting with Willock in a deal for Maddison represents a big risk for the Gunners. On one hand, Maddison is a known quantity who can slot into the heart of the club’s attacking midfield for years to come.

On the other hand, Maddison may not have the potential to really elevate his game moving forward. Willock, at the tender age of 21 still has more room to grow. He may never ascend to Maddison’s level, but his combination of athleticism and skill gives him a chance to blossom into an even better player if things break right.

In the end, Arsenal should only agree to include Willock in the deal if Leicester accept his value to be north of £40 million. Anything less would represent the Gunners selling low on one of their most valuable young assets.