Newcastle United journalist Keith Downie has attempted to offer clarity on the club's second bid for James Maddison amid 'conflicting views'. 

The lowdown

The Telegraph's Luke Edwards reported on Monday afternoon that Newcastle have made an 'improved' offer for Leicester City's Maddison.

He claimed that the Magpies had tabled a fee 'in excess of £45million', albeit with payments 'staggered'.

That would make the Englishman the most expensive player in the club's history, eclipsing the £39.6million they paid for Joelinton in 2019.

The latest

Writing on his Twitter page, Sky Sports News reporter Downie said there appears to be 'conflicting views/info' circulating 'on the James Maddison second bid'.

'The info I have personally,' he says, 'is it's more around the £40m mark with some add-ons.'

Right now, it seems that Newcastle are 'unlikely to get the midfielder at that price'.

The only way it would potentially be enough is if 'Leicester change tact & decide they need to sell'.

The verdict

How much will Leicester demand before they consider selling Maddison?

Well, according to Downie's Sky Sports colleague Dharmesh Sheth, their 'valuation [is] thought to be closer to £60million'.

That's a pretty big gap between the two clubs, and Newcastle may be wary of splashing out that kind of sum as they carefully monitor their compliance with FFP rules.

An additional problem is that the Magpies are under pressure to act quickly.

CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs says that Leicester will only consider selling one of Maddison and centre-back Wesley Fofana, who's wanted by Chelsea.

That means the two clubs are effectively locked in a transfer race, just for different targets.