Aston Villa ‘join race’ for £50m Newcastle United ‘target’ as fans queue for 2023/24 strips

Here, we round-up all the latest stories that have emerged from St James’ Park and beyond: 

Aston Villa ‘join race’ for James Maddison

Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have been joined by Aston Villa in the race for James Maddison this summer. According to Rudy Galetti, the Villains will look to sign Maddison this summer following Leicester City’s relegation from the Premier League.

The Foxes’ fate was sealed on the final day of the Premier League season and Maddison, along with Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans, is expected to lead a mass exodus of talent at the club this summer. Newcastle United have been long-term admirers of Maddison and had bids for him rejected by Leicester last summer.

Unai Emery guided Villa to qualification for the UEFA Conference League and could look to add the 26-year-old to his ranks this summer. Ange Postecoglou, who has recently been appointed as Tottenham Hotspur manager, is also reportedly keen on signing Maddison this summer.

Sam Allardyce, who recently left his role as Leeds United manager, believes that Spurs would be a good destination for Maddison this summer. Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Podcast, the former Magpies boss said: “Tottenham. It’s a lovely Daniel [Levy] deal, that one, isn’t it? He’ll be rubbing his hands, won’t he? Keep him fit, he improves Tottenham’s team.”

Maddison has been valued at £50m by the Foxes, however, following their relegation to the Championship, it is likely that the England international will be sold for a fee lower than the one demanded by Leicester. Tielemans and Barnes are also expected to leave the King Power Stadium this summer with Villa and West Ham frontrunners for their respective signatures.

Newcastle United fans queue for new strip

Newcastle United fans have been queuing around the block to get their hands on next season’s strip top. The club released their 2023/24 home kit on Friday afternoon with Sela, a Saudi Arabia-based events company, set to be their new front-of-shirt sponsor, replacing Fun88.

Supporters have been queuing to purchase the new shirt with Champions League logos after the Magpies qualified for the competition for the first time in two decades. Next season’s kits will also have red numbers and letters.