After making great progress in the transfer negotiations over the past 48 hours, NEWCASTLE UNITED is growing more optimistic that they can finalize a deal for Harvey Barnes before the start of the following week.
The Magpies are close to finalizing a deal for the Leicester City midfielder that will see them pay an upfront fee of roughly £35 million, with a further £5 million in potential add-ons included in the contract’s terms.
Eddie Howe was keen to acquire a more creative player to his midfield after completing the €70 million signing of Sandro Tonali earlier this summer.
The Magpies discussed a potential deal for Barnes with Leicester last summer, but shelved talks when the Foxes refused to lower their £50m valuation of the midfielder.
Things have changed in the intervening 12 months, with Leicester having been relegated from the Premier League and Barnes having entered the final two years of his current contract at the King Power Stadium.
As a result, there is a shared acceptance that the 25-year-old’s value has dropped, although as a full England international, Leicester are determined to extract the maximum possible value from their main remaining saleable asset as they look to fund their own rebuilding project in the Championship.
Asked about the possibility of Barnes leaving earlier this month, new Leicester boss Enzo Maresca said: “When the market is open, anything can happen. Most of us are worried about what happens tomorrow, but we have to look forward.
“At the moment, seven players had their contracts expire, Maddison left, and some more players can leave. But at the same time, if players leave, we can bring in more players. The idea is to bring in our targets as soon as possible.”
Manchester United and West Ham United have both been linked with a move for Barnes in the last few days, but Newcastle’s interest is at a much more advanced stage and the player is understood to have expressed a willingness to move to St James’ Park this summer.
Barnes is desperate to remain in the top-flight as he looks to take his career to the next level, and regards Newcastle are an exciting option as they prepare to return to the Champions League for the first time in more than two decades.
