The Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has now revealed some Newcastle United transfer news involving James Maddison.

The Lowdown: £40m bid reported

The Daily Telegraph journalist John Percy broke the news on Saturday morning that the St James' Park outfit had made a £40m bid for Maddison, which was rejected by Leicester City.

He added that they are considering an improved offer for the Englishman, who could still join before the transfer window closes.

The Latest: £35m?

Taking to Twitter, Hope has now revealed that the offer made by Newcastle was actually a 'structured £35m', but 'sources' have said that a deal is likely to be 'difficult'.

He tweeted: "Understand Newcastle's offer for James Maddison was a structured £35million. They like the 25-yr-old but sources say a deal is likely to prove difficult to complete. Other options being explored."

The Verdict: Up the offer

If the Tynesiders want to get this deal done, then they simply need to raise their offer.

Maddison is thought to be valued at closer to £60m by Leicester, and he would be worth every penny.

He scored 12 goals and supplied a further eight assists in the Premier League for Brendan Rodgers' side last season, ranking second in the squad on both counts, while he also picked up a team-high six man-of-the-match awards and averaged the most key passes (1.4) per game out of his team-mates (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, the 25-year-old will no doubt be hungry to impress so that he can catch the eye of Gareth Southgate as he looks to break into England's squad for the World Cup later this year.