Newcastle United to launch written proposal for Harvey Barnes

Newcastle United and Leicester City will meet again to discuss Harvey Barnes’ transfer to St James’ Park.

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies have readied an opening offer worth around £30 million after Eddie Howe identified the 25-year-old as his top attacking target.

Valued at £40m by the Foxes, the quicksilver forward is close to leaving the King Power Stadium despite having two more years left to run on his contract.

Leicester failed to secure Premier League survival last season, even though many had seen them as potential European material before the 2022/23 kick-off.

Forced down to the Championship, Enzo Marseca’s men brace themselves for a series of high-profile departures kickstarted with James Maddison’s move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Barnes was Leicester’s headline performer alongside Maddison last term, scoring 13 goals and adding one assist in 34 Premier League outings for the relegated Foxes.

There’s nothing Leicester can do to stop the in-demand winger from leaving, with several sides, including Aston Villa and West Ham United, ready to offer him a route back into the Premier League.

Earlier in the summer, the Hammers looked to be in pole position to land the Foxes’ homegrown star, but Newcastle have overtaken the London side in the race to keep Barnes in the top flight.

Since the Englishman came through the youth ranks at the King Power, any fee Leicester could generate from his sale would count as pure profit, increasing the likelihood of his departure.

Unlike Barnes’ current employers, Newcastle enjoyed a stellar Premier League campaign last season, securing a place in the Champions League group stages for the first time in over two decades.

The lure of Europe’s most prestigious club competition may prove tempting enough to make the forward turn down Villa and West Ham to team up with Howe’s lads.

Newcastle have completed one marquee signing this summer as Italian playmaker Sandro Tonali severed ties with AC Milan to launch his Tyne career.