Newcastle United are closing in on a deal to land Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes, according to the Telegraph.
Barnes was the Foxes’ top scorer with 13 goals in the Premier League last season, but he was unable to prevent them dropping into the Championship.
He is set to leave this summer, following in the footsteps of James Maddison who has joined Tottenham Hotspur.
West Ham United were previously touted as favourites to secure a deal for Barnes ahead of Aston Villa, but Newcastle are currently on the verge of landing the Englishman as he enters the final year of his contract at the King Power Stadium.
Having qualified for next season’s Champions League courtesy of a fourth-place finish last time out, the Magpies have stolen a march on their rivals in the race to sign Barnes, thanks in no small part to the allure of featuring in Europe’s premier club competition.
Newcastle were previously interested in bringing Barnes to St James’ Park last summer but were put off by Leicester’s £60 million valuation.
Leicester are believed to be holding out for around £40m this time around but Newcastle are hopeful of striking a deal at a slightly lower fee and could make an opening offer next week.
In a bid to raise funds, the Magpies are open to parting ways with Allan Saint-Maximin with the maverick winger having been reduced to a peripheral figure of late.
Barnes would be Newcastle’s second signing of the Premier League transfer window following the earlier arrival of midfielder Sandro Tonali from AC Milan.
Newcastle are expected to pursue the acquisition of a new left-back before the window runs out, while another centre-back also remains high on the agenda.
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