Arsenal and Tottenham Reportedly in Race to Secure James Maddison Transfer

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly two of six Premier League clubs keen on signing Norwich City midfielder James Maddison this summer.

According to James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph, as well as the two north London rivals, Premier League champions Manchester City, Everton, Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion have also been impressed by the 21-year-old.

"Maddison's preference would ideally be to join a club where he has a realistic chance of regular first-team football," Ducker wrote. "Norwich are keen to keep hold of Maddison, who signed a new deal with the club last June that ties him to Carrow Road until 2021."

It's added that the prospect of a number of clubs bidding for the player may tempt the Canaries into cashing in on their prize asset. After his tremendous campaign, Norwich are said to value Maddison at around £25 million.

It would be a massive amount to pay for a footballer from the second tier of the English game, although given just how impressive the England youth international has been in the Championship, they are within their rights to command such a large fee.

As relayed by the division's official Twitter account, the Norwich man was recently named in the league's team of the season:

Maddison moved from Coventry City to Norwich in 2016 and spent the first part of the previous campaign on loan with Aberdeen in Scotland. Since his return to England, the midfielder has thrived and been Norwich's standout performer this year.

The playmaker is a treat to watch at his best. Maddison is technically sound, versatile and seems to relish knitting attacking moves together. It's no wonder so many elite sides are said to be looking at him, especially given Norwich have missed out on promotion this season.

Scouted Football relayed statistics from WhoScored.com showing how creative he's been this year:

Football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor also praised Maddison's performance during an England under-21 match recently:

Factor in the 14 goals he's netted this season in the second tier and you feel as though it's going to be difficult for Norwich to hang on to Maddison. It means the youngster may be faced with a crucial decision on where to move at the end of the campaign.

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At the moment, it's unlikely Maddison would get regular games for an elite Premier League side, including Arsenal, Tottenham and especially champions City. As such, a switch to a club in that bracket at this point in his career may be unwise.

If he is going to make the step up to the top division, then Maddison must play regularly to ensure he can adapt quickly to Premier League football and continue the upward trajectory in his career. With that in mind, a switch to a club such as Everton or Brighton may make more sense in the short term.