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Three paths at Maddison crossroads as Rodgers makes Leicester 'dream' point

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Leicester City are heading towards a crossroads in the future of James Maddison but there is now proof he can achieve his dreams while on the club's books, manager Brendan Rodgers has said.

Maddison, the club's star performer for the past 18 months, enters the final year of his contract at the King Power Stadium this summer, with three outcomes possible.

Either he signs a new deal to extend his stay beyond 2024, is sold while City can fetch a fee for him, or is retained on the same contract ahead of a free transfer away next year.

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Maddison was the subject of two rejected bids from Newcastle last summer, and there is expected to be more suitors this time, with Manchester City and Tottenham attributed with interest.

City may feel they need to sell to fund a revamp of their squad, but there have been preliminary talks over a new contract. Rodgers this week made the point that Maddison doesn't need to play for one of the leading clubs to start for England, after the 26-year-old ended a three-and-a-half-year wait for his second cap in the win over Ukraine.

"He's a gifted player whatever club he's at," Rodgers said. "He's shown here that by playing at Leicester City in the Premier League and being as effective as he can, it gives him the opportunity to make the squads. That's where he's at.

"Look, his contract, he's got a year to go. You see him happy here. He's playing and that's allowed him to achieve his dream, which was to play for his country."

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Maddison will likely lead City out again this weekend at Crystal Palace, the midfielder taking the armband in recent weeks while Jonny Evans and Youri Tielemans have been out with injuries. His Three Lions appearance should put an even bigger spring in his step as he looks to lift the club away from relegation trouble.

"It gives him the confidence," Rodgers added. "Gareth (Southgate) and his staff have shown the confidence to put him into a qualification game, which is great. He's earned the right for it.

"He knows himself he's up there on a level with a lot of the really gifted players in the squad. There's maybe been one occasion here [at the start of last season] where his confidence wasn't quite at the level it was but other than that, he has an inherent belief in his ability.

"He's now matching that with the work-rate and mentality. We've seen the results of that over the past few seasons. He'll hope, like we all will, that he can be involved in the squad now, and over the next number of years make an impact in it."

What do you think will happen with Maddison? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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