OPINION
Liverpool must not waste anytime and immediately step up their pursuit for James Maddison after Sky Sports reported Everton were leading the race for his signature.
The broadcaster claimed that the Toffees were ahead of a group of Premier League teams interested in Maddison, which included the Reds, and it’s unfathomable that Jurgen Klopp could miss out on such a dazzling talent to his side’s bitter rivals.
Norwich City are believed, according to Sky Sports, to want £20million to £25million for the services of exciting 21-year-old playmaker and that is a bargain considering his ability now and his potential to improve.
Maddison scored 15 goals and registered 11 assists in his 49 appearances in the 2017/18 season and dragged a struggling Norwich City to a 14th-placed finish in the Championship, when it could have been so much worse.
The 21-year-old may not have the needed top-flight experience to barge his way straight into Jurgen Klopp’s starting line-up, but he would certainly be a player that would gain that ability if he continued to progress at the rate his currently doing.
With his impressive dribbling ability, sublime passes and ability to simply dazzle spectators if Reds fans had to witness him light up Goodison Park even for a short period of time, it would be hard to stomach.
Especially as the club would have known how good the player was set to be, shown by them being in the race for his signature, and would no doubt have also been aware that the Reds’ bitter rivals could have glory for years with Maddison in their possession.
Both sides have been interested for a while, Daily Mirror listed both as in the hunt for the Canaries midfielder in May, but for the race to reportedly twist in the Toffees’ favour, it needs to act like a call to action for the Reds.
There might be several high-profile names arriving at Anfield this summer but that doesn’t mean in a few years it will be easy to see what they could have had if Maddison goes to Goodison Park.
Therefore the Reds must act now and not wait to see if the Toffees truly can pull off a spectacular bit of business by recruiting Maddison as otherwise they could end up jealous about their bitter rivals securing one of the most promising talents in English football.
