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West Ham United want exit-bound Harvey Barnes amid £50m Leicester City development
West Ham United are battling Aston Villa for the signing of Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes, according to the Daily Mail.
It’s understood the Foxes face a fight to keep the £50m-rated attacker, who has emerged as a “key” target for a number of clubs (Daily Mail, 24 May).
Leicester are fighting for their lives at present and need results to go in their favour if they’re to avoid relegation on the final day of the 2022/23 season. However, even if they stay up, it’s believed they will be tested when it comes to Barnes’ future.
It’s understood they will find it hard to resist offers in the region of £50million for the attacker. West Ham are set to be active in the summer window, with Declan Rice expected to depart for a fee in the region of £100m.
Coup
Landing Barnes would be a real coup. The one-time England international has proven himself to be an excellent Premier League winger in recent years and could well be set to move on. Leicester’s poor season means a move should now be in the offing.
£50million does seem quite steep. The board should almost certainly be looking to negotiate on that asking price. Bargaining could well become a problem for the Hammers over the course of the summer. If Rice does depart, selling clubs will be acutely aware of how much money West Ham have at their disposal.
This could potentially lead to bloated transfer valuations. If David Moyes is handed a significant war chest, it’s essential he looks for value. It would be easy to overspend when a player can be picked up and developed for half the price. However, for now, West Ham’s focus will be solely on the upcoming Conference League final at the start of June.