Leicester City star James Maddison has reportedly been identified as a summer transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur.

Midfielder Maddison only joined Leicester from Norwich last summer a fee that could rise to £24million.

But five goals and four assists in 23 Premier League games have seen his stock rise and The Mirror now claim that Spurs view the 22-year-old as a possible replacement for Christian Eriksen, who has long been linked with interest from Real Madrid.

Leicester City playmaker James Maddison is said to have attracted the attention of Tottenham

Twenty-two-year-old star Maddison has reportedly been added to Tottenham’s list of targets

Eriksen, 26, has just over a year left to run on his current Spurs contract. 

England international Maddison could be a valuable addition to Mauricio Pochettino’s due to his homegrown status.

Spurs have eight spaces to fill for homegrown players in their Premier League squad but only have six first-team stars who qualify — in Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Harry Winks, Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose and Ben Davies. 

Meanwhile, Davies is not considered homegrown by UEFA’s rule — as his formative years were spent in Wales rather than England — so Spurs have even less room for manoeuvre in the Champions League.

With homegrown players from England top of their shortlist, The Mirror claims that Spurs are also looking at Leeds teenager Jack Clarke, Hull forward Jarrod Bowen, Norwich right back Max Aarons and Bournemouth’s David Brooks, who was born and schooled in England despite electing to play for Wales.

Spurs midfielder Christian Eriksen, 26, has long been linked with interest from Real Madrid

Tottenham have been credited with interest in Leeds United’s teenage winger Jack Clarke

Paris Saint-Germain ‘remain keen’ on Chelsea winger Willian and look set to make another move for the Brazilian in the summer. 

The 30-year-old’s deal at Stamford Bridge expires in 18 months time and it remains unclear whether the club will break their current age policy and give him the long-term deal he wants. 

According to the Mirror, the Ligue 1 leaders are continuing to monitor the player’s situation after being unsuccessful in trying to lure him to Paris in January.  

Paris Saint-Germain ‘remain keen on Chelsea’s Willian’ after missing out on him in January

PSG boss Thomas Tuchel wanted Willian on last month to add extra firepower after losing star man Neymar through injury for the Champions League double-header against Manchester United. 

But with Willian keen to land a long-term deal and Chelsea only offering 12-month contracts to players over 30, PSG’s interest has been peaked by the player’s current situation.  

Chelsea signed Willian from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala for £30million in 2013, a move which saw the Blues swoop in ahead of London rivals Tottenham at the last moment. 

Given Chelsea’s policy, Willian is likely to only be offered a new 12-month deal as he is over 30

Under Maurizio Sarri this season, Willian has scored three goals and set up four more in the Premier League.

Chelsea’s bigger concern this summer could surround another attacker in the shape of Eden Hazard, as the Belgian is yet to reveal the decision he has made on his future. 

Real Madrid have long been interested in the Belgian star and should Neymar remain in Paris, the Spanish giants could revitalise their attack with a £100m move for Hazard. 

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was the last player to swap west London for Madrid and there are growing concerns that Hazard will follow in the summer – especially if the side miss out on a place in the Champions League next season.   

Eden Hazard is the player Chelsea are desperate not to lose as he catches Real Madrid’s eye

All racing at British racecourses on Thursday was cancelled late on Wednesday night because of an outbreak of equine influenza, in what is believed to be the first time that such action has been taken since 2001.

Three horses in an active racing yard tested positive for the highly contagious disease, and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) took the drastic measures to call off meetings at four UK tracks in a bid to prevent it spreading further.

They said horses from that yard had raced on Wednesday at Ayr and Ludlow, which meant there was a potential for several yards across the country and in Ireland to have become affected. 

All racing across Britain on Thursday has been called off due to an equine influenza outbreak

The BHA said it had the unanimous backing of its industry veterinary committee to cancel racing on Thursday, which was due to take place at Huntingdon, Doncaster, Ffos Las and Chelmsford.

It is thought that this is the first time since the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001 that the BHA have had to cancel all racing on a day owing to an animal disease. Racing is often abandoned due to severe weather.

This case is particularly worrying given that the horses that tested positive had been vaccinated.

With Betfair Super Saturday at Newbury this weekend, and the Cheltenham Festival only a few weeks away, the racing world will be keen to ensure that the impact of this equine influenza outbreak is kept to a minimum.

Racing on Thursday was due to take place at Huntingdon, Doncaster, Ffos Las and Chelmsford

A BHA statement said: ‘The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), with unanimous support of the BHA’s industry veterinary committee, has taken the decision to cancel racing at all British racecourses on Thursday 7 February 2019. This is following the BHA being informed this evening by the Animal Health Trust of three confirmed Equine Influenza positives from vaccinated horses in an active racing yard.’

It continued: ‘The BHA has worked quickly to identify which yards could have potentially been exposed today and identify the further actions required. The BHA is presently communicating with yards potentially exposed to ensure appropriate quarantine and biosecurity measures are put in place and horse movements restricted to avoid possible further spread of the disease.

‘The full extent of potential exposure is unknown and we are working quickly to understand as much as we can to assist our decision making.

‘The BHA is working closely with the Animal Health Trust and will issue a further update tomorrow. We recommend that any trainer who has concerns about the health status of any of their horses should contact their veterinarian.’

The unanimous decision was made to stop the flu outbreak spreading to other race horses

Keylor Navas hopes Real Madrid can make their away goal count to finish off Barcelona at the Bernabeu and reach the Copa del Rey final.

Los Blancos hold a slender advantage after they secured a 1-1 draw in the opening leg of their semi-final clash at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.

Lucas Vazquez put Real in front after just six minutes before Malcom rescued the hosts with his second-half equaliser.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas has called on his side to finish Barcelona off at home

Barcelona are bidding to win the competition for a fifth consecutive time, but goalkeeper Navas hopes Real can stop their run of domination when the two sides meet again on February 27.

‘We knew we had to score and hopefully we can make the away goal count because we want to be in that final,’ he told Real Madrid TV.

‘Both sides created chances and we both enjoyed spells on top.’

Lucas Vasquez celebrates after he put Real Madrid ahead early in the first leg on Wednesday

Ahead of the return match, Navas added: ‘We expect a tough game. You can’t think it is going to be a walk in the park because both clubs want to be in that final.

‘So, we have to try and do things better than they do to book our place there.’

Lionel Messi was introduced to the last-four match only as a second-half substitute after Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde started him on the bench.

The Argentinian was nursing a minor leg injury sustained in the 2-2 La Liga draw against Valencia last weekend.

‘Leo is fine,’ Valverde is quoted as saying by Marca. ‘We prefer not to take risks at this time of the season.

Malcom equalised for Barcelona in the second half but Real Madrid have a crucial away goal

‘He had some discomfort and we decided it was for the best.’

Malcolm, who deputised for Messi, impressed for the home side, netting Barcelona’s equaliser after 57 minutes.

But Valverde’s side must now score at least one goal at the Bernabeu to reach the final.

‘We have to score, so the tie is open,’ he added. 

Jesse Lingard is backing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to become Manchester United boss on a full-time basis and believes his side will mount a serious title challenge next season after ‘going back to basics’.

United are unbeaten since Solskjaer was given the reins until the end of the season following Jose Mourinho’s sacking, with the Norwegian guiding his side to an impressive nine wins from 10 games.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino continues to be linked with the Old Trafford hot-seat but Lingard has revealed his team-mates have fully bought into Solskjaer’s philosophy.

 England international Jesse Lingard is feeling positive about the future at Manchester United

Interim United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made an impressive start at Old Trafford

Lingard, speaking exclusively to Sportsmail, said: ‘Solskjaer and Mike Phelan have brought back the old school Manchester United. They know the league and the club inside out so to pass that on and get us playing how we are has been perfect.

‘Solskjaer is doing very well. Nobody can fault him. He has taken a lot on but he already knew what he was doing when he came in. He got the players backing him straight away.

‘He told us there are big expectations and pressure at this club but we have to deal with it and play like a real United team.

‘We will challenge for the title next season if we carry on how we are now. We’re back to basics and winning games by grinding out results or scoring a lot of goals. As long as we’re winning games that’s all that matters.’

Lingard would not be drawn on what proved to be a troubled final few months under Mourinho but he did thank Louis van Gaal for handing him his senior debut in a ‘make or break’ season.

After being shipped out on loan — to Leicester, Birmingham and Brighton — Lingard knew he had to take his chance or risk being sold by his boyhood club.

Van Gaal promoted the Warrington-born star to his first-team squad at the beginning of the 2014-15 season but Lingard’s debut was cruelly cut short after just 24 minutes as he suffered a knee ligament injury.

The Dutchman decided to send the attacking midfielder to Derby in order to get back up to full speed and Lingard, now 26, has not looked back since.

Solskjaer and Lingard pictured hugging during United’s 1-0 win over Tottenham at Wembley

Lingard with former United manager Louis van Gaal during an FA Cup match in April 2016

‘Van Gaal trusted me,’ explains Lingard, who scored an extra-time winner in the 2016 FA Cup final against Crystal Palace under the former Holland boss.

‘He put faith in me during what was a make or break season. It was either make it then or go back out on loan, see where you end up and you may have to move on. He gave me the chance to play and I have to thank him for that.’

Solskjaer’s men now face a tough few weeks with United taking on PSG in the Champions League, Chelsea in the FA Cup and bitter rivals Liverpool in the Premier League following their clash with Fulham at the weekend.

Lingard, however, insists his team-mates will relish going up against Europe’s biggest teams in February.

He concludes: ‘You want to play in those big games – that’s why you play football. The bigger the games, the better. You can’t get bigger than facing PSG in the Champions League at Old Trafford.’

Jesse Lingard was speaking at the launch of the Coca-Cola and Premier League campaign ‘Where Everyone Plays’

Lingard at the launch of the Coca-Cola and Premier League campaign ‘Where Everyone Plays’