Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been forced to address recent rumours suggesting that former Leicester City star Harvey Barnes has been made available for transfer.
Barnes joined Newcastle for £38m in the summer of 2023 following Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League and has experienced a stop-start period up north.
The winger missed large chunks of last season through injury and been in and out of the first team this campaign despite scoring five goals and registering one assist.
However, with talks of Newcastle looking to sell some players to ease profit and sustainability fears, Howe came out to address the future of the one-time England international.
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Eddie Howe confirms Harvey Barnes is not for sale
The Magpies have ambitions of returning to Europe after their Champions League adventure last season but want to invest into their squad to improve it.
PSR worries mean that they’ve had to be cautious about what they spend, but Howe confirmed that Barnes would not be sold and has a future to play at St James’ Park.
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“Harvey’s been really unfortunate this year because he has played very well when he has been given the opportunity so I’ve got no issue with Harvey’s performances – and that’s quite rare when a player’s not playing, that I can say he’s performed really well,” Howe said.
“Look at his goal tally – he’s still up there as one of our leading scorers this season. The problem that I’ve had is fitting Harvey and Anthony Gordon into the same team, two outstanding players who play the same position.
“Harvey could easily get a run in the team, and I do believe he’ll be a consistent goalscorer for us or goal creator for us because that’s always been his way.
“When he’s played this season, especially as a substitute, he’s been fantastic for us. He’s really scored some vital goals and made some big contributions to us winning or drawing games.”
Harvey Barnes would be the perfect winger for Leicester City
Defensive additions seem to be the priority with reports claiming that Woyo Coulibaly is joining Leicester, but there is also chance that the Foxes may improve their options in the attacking department.
Stephy Mavididi has scored in back-to-back games but been inconsistent at times whilst Abdul Fatawu’s season-ending injury leaves Jordan Ayew, Kasey McAteer and Facundo Buonanotte as the options available.
A permanent deal would be out of the questions for the Foxes but if the chance to bring him back on loan comes about, it wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Leicester want to end Odsonne Edouard’s loan and would have to terminate his or Buonanotte’s contract due to the Premier League’s official loan rules.