Harvey Barnes set to move as winner in West Ham United, Newcastle and Aston Villa transfer race for Leicester winger named
Newcastle have “stolen a march” on West Ham and Aston Villa and are now set to sign Harvey Barnes from Leicester, The Telegraph reports.
The Hammers were thought to be leading the race for the £40million-rated attacker last month [Guardian, 9 June] but appear to have lost out on the deal thanks to delays in Declan Rice’s sale to Arsenal.
Barnes, 25, is now expected to complete a move to St. James’ Park over the next week after the Magpies made “significant progress” on the deal while the Irons waited on cash from the Emirates.
Matt Law reports in The Telegraph that the Hammers were at the front of the queue but a bid from Newcastle is now expected to lead to a deal being agreed.
He writes: “West Ham’s move for Barnes was held up by Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal, as the London club waited to bring money in before formalising their strong interest with a bid…
“With Newcastle now ready to make a bid, Barnes is unlikely to turn down the opportunity to play Champions League football even if Villa or West Ham make a late move.”
Major blow
Barnes would have been an excellent signing for David Moyes so to lose out on him after leading the race will leave the manager bitterly disappointed.
The hold up on the £105million sale of the captain to Arsenal has now had a knock-on effect that West Ham will have badly wanted to avoid.
At 25 and having scored 13 Premier League goals last season the Leicester winger was a coveted target, but it appears it will be Eddie Howe who benefits now and not Moyes.
Incremental increases in the offers for Rice saw two bids from Arsenal and one from Manchester City rejected before the Gunners broke the £100m barrier, and still it saw nearly a week of haggling before an agreement on payment structure.
Ultimately getting the record sale right was the priority for the Irons, but the rest of the window hinged on that and it has allowed the Magpies to swoop in.
With Rice’s move expected to be confirmed within days now it will be imperative for the club to avoid missing out on other targets now that one of their top options looks set to move elsewhere.
In other West Ham news, Moyes tipped to be key benefit as the Irons target a move for a Rice replacement from a league rival.