Newcastle United would struggle to sign Leicester City midfielder James Maddison if he signs a new deal with his current club, according to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie.

The Lowdown: Maddison linked with Newcastle

The Foxes may be having an extremely poor start to the season but Maddison has been a rare bright spark for Brendan Rodgers' side, scoring three times in six Premier League games.

The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to Newcastle a number of times in recent months, with perhaps a feeling that a fresh challenge is required for him.

However, a possible blow has now emerged in that regard following a recent claim.

The Latest: Downie shares his doubts

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Downie admitted that Maddison extending his stay at Leicester would duly make it tough for Newcastle to afford him.

The Sky Sports reporter said:

"If he does go on to sign a new contract at Leicester, you’ve got to say Newcastle have got no chance of getting him. Their only chance really of getting him would have been in that sort of cut-price deal [in the summer], and I’m saying cut-price deal, we’re talking over £40 million.

"He’s worth £50 million and that’s why I think Newcastle were kind of pleasantly surprised when they learned that they could get him for that money, but they couldn’t get him."

The Verdict: Look elsewhere?

From the outside looking in it looks as though Newcastle have all the money in the world these days, but they continue to be sensible in the transfer market.

For that reason, spending over the odds on Maddison could prove to be a mistake, with the attacking midfielder an excellent player - he has been called 'world-class' by former Magpies defender Danny Simpson and a 'genius' by BBC presenter Rob Butler in the past - but perhaps not worth the astronomical sums being quoted.

It could be that a similarly gifted footballer is available for a much lesser amount if the Leicester star signs a new deal in the Midlands, at which point Eddie Howe should turn his attention to that individual instead.