Newcastle United have been pushing to sign Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes for around a year now. However, the 25-year-old left winger is reportedly ready to finally quit the relegated club and move to the UEFA Champions League newcomers.A year ago, Leicester and then-manager Brendan Rodgers wouldn’t sell Barnes for anything less than $77 million, which put Newcastle boss Eddie Howe off. However, after the demotion to the EFL Championship, the Foxes’ negotiating position is far worse – and they must lower their demands significantly.The Red Bulls have their horns facing Openda and are ready for the final chargeAlthough the black-and-whites aren’t the only interested party, the circumstances favour the Saudi-owned club. Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal held up West Ham’s move for Barnes, as the London club waited to bring money in before formalising their strong interest with a bid.Howe’s desire to bring in the one-time England player probably means that French mystery man Allan Saint-Maximin’s time at St. James’ Park is coming to an end. The former OGC Nice winger hasn’t been quite so impactful since Howe arrived to Tyneside.##NAJAVA_MECA_7361303##Villa have indicated an interest in Barnes but have not moved as fast as Newcastle, who have made significant progress in pursuing the Barnes this week. Harvey, whose father was also a professional footballer, scored 13 Premier League goals for Leicester last season, despite the Midlands club suffering a torrid year.Selling Barnes will mean that Leicester will have secured around $100 million in transfer fees for him and James Maddison since their relegation. The Foxes have signed Conor Coady and Harry Winks and are interested in Swansea striker Joel Piroe.With it looking like Harvey Barnes is close to moving to Newcastle let’s looks at his and Saint-Maximin’s all time Premier League stats.Harvey Barnes Appearances – 146Assists – 25Goals – 35Allan Saint-MaxminAppearances – 111Assists – 18Goals – 12#NUFC pic.twitter.com/W0XJtvl9Ny— NUFC360 (@NUFC360) July 8, 2023 In the meantime, Newcastle’s only senior addition is midfielder Sandro Tonali from AC Milan, while Gambian wonderkid Yankuba Minteh joined only to be loaned out to Feyenoord.
