Following their relegation to the Championship on the final day of last season, Leicester City are set to lose several of their first-team players.
Caglar Soyuncu, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison have all already left the King Power Stadium, and now winger Harvey Barnes, who is in talks with Newcastle United, looks set to be the next player to leave.
Recent reports claim Eddie Howe’s Magpies are planning to accelerate a deal to sign Barnes, 25, who has already agreed personal terms, sometime this week.
Newcastle are planning to advance on Harvey Barnes deal next week. Talks are already underway but negotiations will continue in the next days to get it done. ????
Barnes already accepted Newcastle as destination, deal depends on clubs and #NUFC outgoings. pic.twitter.com/5OqhXFD4pQ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 9, 2023
Rumoured to be discussing a £25 million transfer (Daily Mail), Newcastle United, a club quickly becoming known for their impressive recruitment policy, could be on the verge of making yet another shrewd signing.
What has Stan Collymore said about Harvey Barnes to Newcastle?
And weighing in on the possibility of Leicester City’s number seven, who scored 13 Premier League goals in 34 games last season, former Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore believes Barnes’ capture by Howe could prove to be this summer’s best piece of business.
“What a great deal that would be if they can get it over the line,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.
“He has a decent goalscoring record for Leicester City, it’s about one in four; that’s not bad at all, especially when you take into account how dreadful their season was last time out. I do think Eddie Howe will aim to improve that though; I think he’ll want him netting closer to one in every three games.
“He’s only 25 years old so he hasn’t yet reached his prime and if he can do well at St. James’ Park under Howe then I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he adds to his single England cap. He looks hungry enough to take the next step in his career too.
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“Also, if he does sign for Newcastle and ends up playing well next term, especially in the Champions League, then for £25 million, he’s going to look even more a shrewd signing, and could easily be the signing of the season.”
Since being promoted to the Foxes’ first-team back in 2018, Barnes, who has two years left on his deal, has directly contributed to 77 goals in 187 games in all competitions.