Newcastle ‘lead race’ for £50m Spurs, Villa target as Howe eyes replacement for Saudi-linked attacker
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According to reports, Newcastle United are ahead of Aston Villa and Tottenham in the race to sign Leicester City attacker Harvey Barnes.
Leicester are in the rebuilding process following their relegation from the Premier League. They have already lost James Maddison, who Tottenham have snapped up for around £40m.
Barnes is another player who was always likely to secure himself a move back to the Premier League this summer and he is being linked with several clubs. This comes after he scored 13 goals in the league for the Foxes last season.
It has been reported that Tottenham have been hoping to sign Maddison and Barnes this summer, but they face heavy competition from Newcastle for the latter.
The Guardian are reporting that the Magpies are ‘leading the race’ to sign Barnes, who ‘is a target for Aston Villa, Tottenham and West Ham’.
Eddie Howe ‘wants a new left-winger’ and their need for a fresh face in that area will be increased if Allan Saint-Maximin – ‘who is the subject of interest from clubs in the Saudi Pro League’ – is let go this summer.
The report points out that Leicester have intended to demand £50m for Barnes this summer, ‘but they could be forced to accept a lower fee after dropping into the Championship’.
Newcastle have already spent a significant fee to sign Sandro Tonali from AC Milan to boost their midfield. And Howe’s ‘next priority’ is to ‘bolster his attacking options’.
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A separate report from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims Newcastle are ‘not particularly close’ to signing Barnes at this stage.
‘Finally, I’m aware of reports that Newcastle are leading the race to sign Harvey Barnes from Leicester City and thought I’d clarify with my current understanding of the situation,’ Romano wrote for Caught Offside.
‘Barnes is appreciated by Newcastle. At the moment it’s not particularly close or advanced, but there are contacts as he’s one of the players they like. Tottenham only inquired about him 20 days ago but it now seems clear that the new signing in that position will be Manor Solomon.
‘A deal is done for Solomon, who will have his medical with Tottenham today after it was rescheduled, but there are no issues. He reached an agreement with the club earlier this week and is set to join as a free agent.’
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