Chelsea are tracking Leicester attacking midfielder James Maddison, according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs.

The 26-year-old has been in excellent form this campaign, having scored seven goals and provided four assists in 14 appearances. Newcastle and Tottenham are also said to be interested but Jacobs says Maddison won’t make a decision on his future in January as he wants to be certain of playing in the Champions League next season:

“Sources told me that Maddison would rather wait until the end of the season and Leicester are not ruling out a new deal either. But from Maddison’s point of view, the reason why he would rather wait is because he wants to know what he’s getting and right now if London’s the preference, and Tottenham and or, more loosely, Chelsea are looking at him, neither of those two clubs can categorically guarantee that they’re heading towards Champions League football for sure next season and Newcastle are in a better form position, but again, who knows whether they’re going to get over the line and get Champions League football.”

It’s almost certain that the Blues are considering Maddison as a potential replacement for Mason Mount. The 23-year-old has just nineteen months remaining on his contract and still hasn’t signed an extension.

Talks are expected to resume after the World Cup but, if the club can’t find an agreement by next summer, they will have a decision to make.

Liverpool and Juventus have been credited as potential suitors for Mount, although the latter is unlikely to be in a position to make a move following recent revelations about financial irregularities.