Newcastle United are set to cough up around £40m for Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes, having fought off competition from West Ham United for the Englishman’s signature, according to reports.
The Magpies have begun their summer in slow fashion despite the massive £55m outlay to land Sandro Tonali, and have missed out on several of their top targets including James Maddison, who has joined Tottenham.
Eddie Howe’s side appear to have won the race for his Leicester teammate Barnes, however, with the Englishman in talks over a move to Tyneside. It is expected that the Magpies, who are looking to strengthen after qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in two decades, will have to shell out between £35m and £40m for the winger.
As per the Daily Mail, a deal could even be completed by the end of this week should all things go smoothly, meaning that Barnes would join up with Howe’s pre-season preparations ahead of the new season.
The move will leave further question marks over the future of Alan Saint-Maximin, who has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia as part of their plan to attract Premier League stars to the middle east.
Though Barnes will become Newcastle’s second summer signing, he will by no means be their last. The Tyneside outfit are in discussions with AS Monaco over a deal for Axel Disasi, who is also wanted by Manchester United with the two sides set to fight it out for the defender.
