Arsenal reportedly open negotiations for the next David Beckham

Arsenal have reportedly opened negotiations over James Maddison.

Football.london claims the Gunners have proposed a player-plus-cash deal for the Leicester and England ace.

Maddison, who is reportedly worth £60million, is believed to be Mikel Arteta’s top target this summer.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a swift upward trajectory to the top of the English game.

He has received numerous plaudits in that time, including one from a Foxes legend who compared him to David Beckham in 2018.

“This lad’s done brilliant,” football.london quotes Tony Cottee as saying.

“I saw him at Norwich a lot last season. He’s a really good player. The one slight thing he hasn’t got is electric pace.

“He reminds me of David Beckham.

“If you watch him play, he runs like Beckham, he takes free kicks like Beckham, he’s got good vision and is a good passer of the ball.

“He’s going to be a top, top player.”

Arsenal target Maddison – the story so far

Maddison came through the ranks at Coventry before joining Norwich for a reported £2.4million in 2016.

Two-and-a-half years later, Maddison was on the move again, joining Leicester for a reported £22.5million in 2018.

Maddison has since made 118 appearances for the Foxes, claiming 27 goals and 20 assists for the club.

His efforts have helped Leicester win the FA Cup and become an established top-six team.

Maddison has also won one England cap, and his omission from the Euro 2020 squad proved controversial.