Newcastle are now “confident” they will be able to complete a move for Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes this summer, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.
Eddie Howe is preparing his squad for a monumental season ahead with the Magpies set to compete in the Champions League for the first time in over two decades and will be hoping they can not only compete at the highest level in Europe, but domestically too.
Newcastle matched Manchester City for the best defence in the entire Premier League last season – conceding just 33 goals over the 38-campaign – and gave the ‘Big Six’ a big shock by beating Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea to a top-four finish.
In terms of transfers, the North East outfit have been battling with Financial Fair Play regulations to achieve the business they need to get done this summer, but have already confirmed the arrival of Champions League finalist and AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali.
The Newcastle boss spoke out last night, following a pre-season friendly with Rangers, to confirm that the club have no choice but to sell their winger Allan Saint-Maximin, in order to strengthen their squad and comply with their financial restrictions:
“Maxi is the player that’s generating the interest,”
“FFP is a new dynamic which really came to the fore after my first window here when we knew it would impact us.”
“Player trading is a key part of it – you can’t hit it, if you don’t trade. We’re forced to trade a player this window.”
“If the deal didn’t go through, I’d be delighted. It would obviously impact our ability to bring any more players in, and then we potentially might have to sell another player. That’s the way that Financial Fair Play has hit us.”
Today, Howe’s comments have been followed up with a fresh update from Italian journalist Romano on Twitter, who has revealed more information on the progress of Saint-Maximin’s imminent exit and a potential move for Barnes:
“Al Ahli official bid for Allan Saint-Maximin: €25m fee to convince Newcastle, they want more but negotiation is advancing to crucial stages.”
“Newcastle are confident to complete Harvey Barnes deal once they’ll sell Saint-Maximin.”
Our verdict on Harvey Barnes’ potential move to Newcastle…
Whilst Saint-Maximin has cemented himself as a fan favourite and is clearly hugely admired by Howe, the opportunity to strengthen Newcastle’s attacking threat could be a difference-maker in their attempts to compete at the highest level next season.
Indeed, the Frenchman has stuck by the club during their worst times under Mike Ashley’s ownership and remained an ever-present component in the success that has ensued following their huge Saudi-led takeover, it could now be the perfect time to move on.
It is no secret that the Magpies have been actively looking to improve their wide-forward options over the last 12 months, with Anthony Gordon joining the Tyneside outfit back in January, and now Barnes could significantly improve their performances across the board.
There is no doubt that a strong Champions League campaign would be an exciting prospect for the St James’ Park faithful, but the dreams of securing a major trophy for the first time in almost six decades would be the ultimate achievement next season.
Newcastle were within touching distance of securing their first major trophy in a generation when they headed to Wembley for the League Cup final against Manchester United, however, on the day just did not have enough to stump the Red Devils and went home empty handed.
The signing of Barnes would provide Howe will a natural finisher who has a keen eye for goal, as despite Leicester’s relegation woes last season he remained a consistent and prolific performer for the Foxes.
Over 34 Premier League appearances, the 25-year-old winger scored 13 goals, registered one assist and created five big chances, as well as averaging 2.1 shots on goal and one shot on target per game, proving that he could boost the goal contributions delivered on the left flank for Newcastle next season.
With that being said, the departure of Saint-Maximin will be the end of an era for many Newcastle fans and his few remaining teammates who were part of the squad ahead of the lucrative takeover, but there is a lot to look forward to with Barnes a worthy successor for their much-loved winger.
