James Maddison: Norwich City midfielder joins Leicester City in record-breaking deal
Highly-rated Norwich City midfielder James Maddison has joined Premier League club Leicester City for a club record fee.
The deal is thought to be worth in excess of £22 million plus add-ons - making it the Canaries' record sale by some distance.
The previous record was set in January when Alex Pritchard was sold to Huddersfield Town for a fee that will eventually reach £14 million.
Maddison has agreed a five-year contract with the Foxes and becomes their third signing of the summer.
Maddison was one of the best players in the Championship last season, scoring 14 league goals from midfield while also notching eight assists.
His stunning form meant he picked up City’s Player of the Season award, and he was also named in The Championship's Team of the Year.
The young playmaker is still carrying a knee injury he sustained during the final game of last season against Sheffield Wednesday, but is expected to be back to full fitness by July.
Some of the Premier League's biggest clubs have been tracking Maddison's rapid progress, but it's believed that the England under 21s international has chosen Leicester in order to be closer to his family in the Midlands.
Coventry City are expected to be owed a sell-on clause of about 15% from the profits of Norwich’s initial sale.
Maddison joined Norwich from the Sky Blues in January 2016 for £3 million.
“We would like to wish James well in his move to the Premier League and we are sure he will be a success. We have been fortunate to watch James turn from a boy into a man in a football sense and when this opportunity came up it was too good for him to turn down," Norwich Sporting Director Stuart Webber said.
“Obviously we’re disappointed to lose a player of James’s quality and character but, with our financial position well-documented, in the end it was too good an offer to turn down.
"To achieve a record transfer fee for a player moving to the Premier League from the Championship who hasn’t previously played in the Premier League is a testament to James, his teammates and Daniel Farke, who has put so much trust in James.
"James would be the first to admit that without a coach who put as much faith in him as Daniel did, he wouldn’t be making this dream move."
Speaking to Leicester's official website, Maddison admitted that the opportunity to test himself in the Premier League was too good to turn down.
"I thought long and hard about it. I had a good chat with my family and my agent. I’ve got a really tight-knit family so I sat down with my mum, my dad and my agent and went through everything," he said.
"Leicester seemed like the right fit for me. I’ve got a good feel about the club and I just can’t ignore that in my head and my heart. I felt like this was the right place for me to be."
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Norwich winger Diallang Jaiyesimi has joined League Two side Yeovil Town on a season-long loan.