Newcastle offer Harvey Barnes assurances after Aston Villa interest - Report

Harvey Barnes is now the subject of interest from Aston Villa, who are looking to add to their attack next season.

Aston Villa have qualified for next season's Champions League. Unai Emery is looking to add another dimension to their attack and has Newcastle United's Harvey Barnes in his sights after an impressive season in front of goal for the Magpies.

Barnes finished as Newcastle's second top scorer this season, behind Anthony Gordon, who was the chief penalty taker for the side.

Emery is said to like his pace and ability to turn attack into defence, and with Champions League football to offer, it feels like it could be a deal to look out for.

Eddie Howe has spoken with Barnes

On the flip side, with Anthony Gordon heading out of the club, Barnes now has a free run at the left wing spot, so he may want to stay put and put his stamp down on the first team.

Barnes has two years remaining on his contract, and according to The Chronicle, he has already been given assurances of his place in the team.

Eddie Howe is thought to be delighted with his contribution this season. Howe has always been a big fan of Barnes. When everyone was convinced Newcastle was scouting Leicester City to steal James Maddison, it turned out that Howe was looking at Barnes all along and eventually got his man.

Fingers crossed we keep hold of Harvey Barnes

As we said yesterday, Barnes hasn't really been given a good run in the starting XI. Even when Gordon has been injured or deployed through the middle, Barnes has never had a run of games in the same position and, as such, has never really been able to build up a proper head of steam.

Each time Barnes has had a slight off-game, Howe has replaced him with someone else or had him switch flanks. If he's given a good run in one position for a good few games, we may start to see even more from him.

We hope that we're able to keep Barnes at the club and he's given a proper shot in the side. That being said, though, if we sign someone who is arguably a better fit, then of course his role will have to change.