Aston Villa target Harvey Barnes is "open" to completing a summer move to the Midlands, according to journalist John Townley.
Is Harvey Barnes leaving Leicester?
The Leicester City winger is an academy graduate at the King Power Stadium having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to become a regular feature of the senior first-team, starting 32 out of the 38 Premier League games in 2022/23.
The Foxes product still has another two years to run on his contract with Enzo Maresca’s side, but having established himself as their top-performing offensive player last season, alongside the fact that they have suffered relegation, there’s a chance that he could be on the move during this window as one of their most prized assets.
The Independent have credited the Midlands outfit with an interest in the 25-year-old and claimed that Unai Emery is leading the race to land his target, with CBS reporter Ben Jacobs also revealing that the boss is “quietly confident” that an agreement can be reached for a cut-price.
Are Aston Villa signing Barnes?
During a Q&A for BirminghamLive, Townley was asked by a supporter whether Aston Villa are keen on Barnes which he delivered an exciting response to, whilst also providing an update on the pursuit of Villarreal defender Pau Torres. He said:
"Harvey Barnes is a target, and he is open to joining Villa, I’m told. Likewise, Pau Torres will be considered, but his future is uncertain – he could sign a new deal at Villarreal, or finally decide to make a move away from his boyhood club now that he has 12 months left on his current deal."
What would Barnes bring to Villa Park?
Aston Villa recently appointed Monchi as their President of Football Operations and it looks like he could already be lining up Barnes as one of his first signings. Should that be the case, he would add plenty of attacking threat to the squad having been lauded a “livewire” in the final third by BBC pundit Alan Hutton.
Leicester’s £35k-per-week left-sided winger racked up 14 goal contributions (13 goals and one assist) in 34 Premier League outings last season and recorded 72 shots, which was the second-highest at the King Power, slightly behind James Maddison on 83, via FBRef.
Barnes, who shares the same agent, Wasserman, as Tyrone Mings and Leander Dendoncker, would also provide Emery with incredible versatility having operated in nine different positions throughout his career, including everywhere across the frontline and in the midfield, so should the deal present itself, this is one that NSWE simply can’t turn down.