Harvey Barnes wanted by Aston Villa after Newcastle miss out on Europe - Report
Aston Villa booked their place in next season's Champions League by lifting the Europa League trophy, but would have qualified via league position anyway.
Unai Emery's side were destined for the top tier of European football next season if they failed to beat Freiburg on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United failed to qualify for any level of European football, which not only makes their recruitment much harder this summer, but it will also make life far more difficult for Ross Wilson to keep hold of the existing squad.
Any players with big ambitions are likely to be thinking about their future with no European football next season, and should an offer come in from a club that is, that could cause problems.
Aston Villa want Harvey Barnes
It looks as though we won't have to wait long to see the resolve of our players tested, as The Mail has claimed that Aston Villa are keen to sign Newcastle's Harvey Barnes to bolster their attack.
The 28-year-old winger proved this season that he has what it takes to compete in the Champions League, scoring six goals in Europe and 10 across other competitions, ending 2025/26 with an impressive 16 strikes to his name.
No price has been mentioned, but the report suggests that Newcastle would want to recoup a large chunk of the £38 million they paid Leicester City in 2023.
As the Mail reports, Anthony Gordon's potential move to Bayern Munich could have a lot of influence on what happens with Harvey Barnes, plus Villa's precarious financial position could also make things tricky.
Will Barnes seize his opportunity or leave?
Our hope is that Harvey Barnes will see his opportunity to make that place in Newcastle's starting XI his own with Anthony Gordon out of the way and opt to stay and try to make that spot his own.
That being said, we wouldn't blame him for wanting to leave for a club playing in Europe. Barnes does lack consistency, but at the same time, he's never really been given a proper run in the side. As soon as he has one off game, Eddie Howe tends to swap him out. It must be damaging to his confidence, so he may want to move somewhere where he's assured of a good run in the team.
It's a tough one because on his day, Barnes is fantastic, but he does have those games where he doesn't contribute enough. The fact that we don't really get to see how he recovers from those games makes it hard to judge whether we're better off cashing in or keeping him.
Rumour Rating: 6/10 - Barnes would be a good fit for Villa, and their Champions League qualification will make them an attractive proposition. However, Barnes may want to stay and prove himself at Newcastle. Also, Villa's PSR woes could prevent them from meeting Newcastle's demands.
