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London, Monday

Arsenal’s search for a creative midfielder appears to have led them to what could be one of the blockbuster moves of the summer in the form of James Maddison. 

Reports earlier this week suggested the Gunners had tabled a player-plus-cash offer for the Leicester star, who is said to be valued at £60million by the East Midlands outfit.

Sportsmail revealed Mikel Arteta’s interest in signing the 24-year-old last month, with Martin Odegaard returning to Real Madrid after a six-month loan at the Emirates Stadium during the second half of the previous campaign.

The Gunners have already signalled their intention to add to their homegrown quota this summer following the £50m capture of Brighton defender Ben White and their pursuit of Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

And despite the fee shelled out on the Three Lions centre-back, Maddison’s arrival would represent a major coup for a side that have finished in eighth for the past two seasons.

Maddison will almost certainly never experience the same number of peaks and commensurate amount of troughs in one season as he did in 2020-21.

He appeared a shoo-in for England’s Euro 2020 squad following the first half of the season, scoring eight Premier League goals and laying on a further seven top-flight assists as Leicester hovered around the top of the table.

There were even suggestions that he could challenge the likes of Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish for a starting spot in the tournament that summer prior to the hip injury he aggravated in February at Aston Villa. -Dailymail