Newcastle United were linked with Harvey Barnes during the summer transfer window, and the Leicester star is still on the Magpies’ radar.
According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle still admire Barnes as they begin to map out who they will try to sign ahead of next season.
The Leicester winger is enjoying an impressive campaign at the King Power Stadium, despite the fact that the Foxes are embroiled in a relegation battle. Brendan Rodgers’ side are currently 15th in the table, and suffered a crushing defeat to Southampton at the weekend.
They fighting for their lives to stay in the top flight, boasting a squad that should be more than good enough to achieve Premier League survival.
If they do go down to the Championship, the vultures will be circling around their star players, with the likes of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans linked with moves away.
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They are both reportedly targets for Newcastle, and so is Barnes – just like he was at the start of the season.
Newcastle already tried and failed to sign Harvey Barnes
Eddie Howe was desperate for a winger at the start of the season, and at one point the Magpies were linked with Barnes. However, his asking price was a stumbling block.
It was reported that Leicester wanted £50million for the 25-year-old, which was double what Newcastle were willing to pay. According to the Sun, Barnes was only valued at £25million on Tyneside, which seemed incredibly low for a player of his ability in the current market.
In the end, Barnes stayed put and Newcastle failed to sign a winger. Instead, they waited until January and brought in Anthony Gordon for £45million.
He’s outperforming two of Newcastle’s current wingers
The 22-year-old has looked lively since moving to St James’ Park, but he is being outperformed by Barnes this season. And so is Gordon’s Toon teammate Allan Saint-Maximin.
So far this season, Gordon has scored three Premier League goals, while ASM has scored just one. In comparison, Barnes has found the net eight times in the league. He’s got double the amount of their combined tally.
That will provide food for thought for Howe, who is looking for attacking reinforcements ahead of next season. Barnes tickets a lot of boxes, and could be pondering his future with Leicester currently struggling.
Rodgers previously tipped Barnes to become a ‘superstar‘, but that isn’t going to happen if he is battling relegation or in the second tier.
Therefore, a move away might appeal, and Newcastle could be an option once again.