Newcastle prepares £35m rescue plan for Leicester City superstar after the Foxes suffered relegation in PL
The Leicester player could join the Magpies this summer.
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Harvey Barnes in action for Leicester (Credit: Goal.com)
Newcastle United is close to signing Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes, with Eddie Howe looking to strengthen his options on the left wing. It is expected that Newcastle will win the race for Barnes, who is likely to come with a price tag of around £35m. West Ham United had initially been in the lead to secure his services.
However, the Hammers have been preoccupied with the sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal and have not acted swiftly enough. The winger could replace Allan Saint-Maximin in the club who has huge interest coming in from the Saudi Pro League.
As they will appear in the Champions League for the first time in 21 years, the club would require depth to survive in the competition. This is why they have bought star midfielder Sandro Tonali from AC Milan. Under the ownership of the Saudi PIF, Newcastle would like to compete on all fronts and Barnes would help in that process.
Leicester, who recently got relegated to the Championship wanted £50m for the player but will settle for less. They have already sold James Maddison to Tottenham Hotspur and have bought Harry Winks and Conor Coady. They will look to get a straight promotion to return to the competition which they won in 2015/16.
Saudi PIF’s reign in Newcastle United
Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) took over Newcastle United in October 2021. Major investments were promised and have been somewhat fulfilled for the club. However, their ambitions are bigger than that. Newcastle was the gateway to football, which they look to control in the future.
The PIF has now bought four Saudi Pro League clubs, Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli. Numerous players from Europe have joined these clubs, including superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, after being offered enormous sums of money. They also apparently have a major stake in Clearwater Capital, the consortium that owns Chelsea. Many people have alleged that this is the reason why so many Chelsea players who are considered surplus to their needs are being sent to Saudi. Through their increase in popularity in Newcastle, they are indirectly strengthening their hold in the public subconscious.
Now, their clubs will face numerous European giants in friendlies this season, which was a rare sight before. The country has already taken over boxing and golf. LIV Golf, backed by the PIF, has joined hands with the PGA. The consensus on the matter is that the country, through its hold on sports, wants to boost the tourism industry.
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Arpan Ghosh
(1403 Articles Published)