Newcastle close to agreeing deal for Leicester’s Harvey Barnes – meaning Allan Saint-Maximin could leave
- Newcastle are close to agreement with Leicester over a deal for Harvey Barnes
- The relegated Foxes value the skilful winger at around the £35-40million mark
- His expected arrival on Tyneside may accelerate the exit of Allan Saint-Maximin
Newcastle are close to agreeing a deal for Harvey Barnes as Leicester prepare to travel to Thailand on Thursday.
Barnes is a prominent target for the Magpies and is set to be sold this summer, with the Foxes valuing the winger around the £35-40million mark. The deal could be completed in the coming days.
Leicester face Liverpool in Bangkok on July 23 before taking on Tottenham in Singapore a week later.
Barnes, 25, played no part in last weekend’s friendly at Peterborough, with manager Enzo Maresca citing injury.
Barnes was also targeted by Aston Villa and West Ham but Newcastle has always been his first choice as he would have the chance to play in the Champions League in the coming season.
Newcastle are close to agreeing a deal with Leicester for winger Harvey Barnes, 25 (pictured)
Boss Eddie Howe (right) said at the weekend the club had to be ‘creative’ in the transfer market
Barnes’ expected arrival at St James’ Park could accelerate the exit of Allan Saint-Maximin
Barnes is proven at this level, playing a key role in the Leicester teams who finished fifth in 2020 and 2021, as well as winning the FA Cup in 2021 and reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League a year later.
The 25-year-old will hope to add to his single England cap in the build-up to Euro 2024.
Dropping into the Championship placed extra pressure on Leicester to sell their star assets given the reduction in television revenue, parachute payments notwithstanding.
James Maddison, sold to Tottenham for £40m, and Barnes were comfortably the Foxes’ best two attackers last season but are unlikely to be the only players to leave, with Kelechi Iheanacho, Timothy Castagne, Wilfried Ndidi, Patson Daka, Jannik Vestergaard and Boubakary Soumare among those who could also depart.
The sale of Barnes would also help Leicester stay within spending rules. Any fee the Foxes generate would count as pure profit under Financial Fair Play, as Barnes was developed in the Leicester academy.
His expected arrival at St James’ Park could accelerate the exit of Allan Saint-Maximin, who has not travelled to Glasgow for Tuesday’s friendly against Rangers.
Newcastle have received contact representatives on behalf of the Saudi Pro League and sources have intimated to Mail Sport that the Barnes deal is linked to the likely sale of the winger. If a deal cannot be struck, however, Saint-Maximin may still travel to the United States with Newcastle’s touring squad.
Newcastle are limited by Financial Fair Play and Eddie Howe said at the weekend that the club had to be ‘creative’ in the transfer market, stressing that the budget was ‘not huge’.
