All roads seem to lead towards Harvey Barnes becoming a Newcastle United player this summer.
The Leicester City winger appears to be closing in on a move to Tyneside, with Newcastle confident that they can soon agree a fee with the Foxes.
That will delight Eddie Howe, who is keen to sign Barnes ahead of the club’s summer trip to America. His side are off to the USA for friendlies against Aston Villa, Chelsea and Brighton, and Howe is hoping that Barnes joins in time to be involved.
The 25-year-old has already agreed personal terms to join Newcastle, who look set to fend off interest from multiple Premier League rivals to secure the services of the England international.
Both West Ham and Aston Villa have registered an interest in Barnes, but a new report explains why he would rather play in a black and white shirt at St James’ Park.
Harvey Barnes wants Champions League football with Newcastle
According to the Daily Mail, Barnes wants to join Newcastle instead of West Ham or Aston Villa because the Magpies can offer him Champions League football.
Howe’s side are set to compete in Europe’s top competition next season, which is something Barnes is yet to do in his career. In contrast, a move to Villa or West Ham would only enable him to play in UEFA’s less reputable tournaments.
It just shows how important it was for Newcastle to finish in the top four last season. It gives us extra pulling power, and is allowing us to get a player who had various other enticing options available to him.
But it looks like he is on his way to Tyneside, where he will hope to do just as well as he did for Leicester. He scored 13 goals for the Foxes last season.
A similar return in a Newcastle shirt would more than justify the move – especially if a couple of those goals come in the Champions League.
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