According to Darren Bent, Tottenham Hotspur could be very ‘clever’ and sign both James Maddison and Harvey Barnes from recently relegated Leicester for a fee of £80 million this summer.
It’s shaping up to be a busy summer for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou, if rumours are to be believed.
The Australian has been tasked with reinforcing a squad which limped to an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League last season.
It will likely be a hectic summer for Leicester City, too. After being relegated from the top flight in the 2022/23 campaign, many of their star players are expected to leave the club.
James Maddison has been strongly linked with Spurs for a while now, and is believed to be a priority target for Postecoglou (Telegraph). According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham will make a move for Maddison in the next week.
His Leicester teammate, Harvey Barnes, has also been subject of interest from Spurs (DailyMail). A report from Sky Sports suggested the Foxes will demand £40 million for the winger.
Spurs should bid £80m for Maddison and Barnes
In an appearance on talkSPORT, Darren Bent was discussing the merits of Spurs making an approach for both Maddison and Barnes, and claims a double bid of £80 million would secure the signing.
He said: “I think [Barnes] and Maddison should be in the Premier League. Someone could be quite clever there. If they bid enough money, they might get them as a package deal.
“If you are Tottenham, you are looking at Harvey Barnes and James Maddison, I would put a big lump of cash.
“If they were to put on the table £80 million, for them two players, they are two very good players.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I doubt the finances would be made available to sanction this kind of move, but £80 million for Barnes and Maddison would be a great deal.
They are both exciting, attacking players who have proven they can produce at the very top level.