Newcastle United are understood to be interested in Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga.
Newcastle United would reportedly consider a cash-plus-player deal involving Harvey Barnes to sign Anthony Elanga.
Signed two years ago from Leicester City for £38million, the 27-year-old has endured a frustrating time at St James’ Park. Barnes has performed well when played but competition with Anthony Gordon is stifling his playing time.
A long-term foot injury in his debut campaign also set Barnes back but he has still netted 14 goals in two disrupted seasons. The winger also starred in the Carabao Cup final - due to Gordon’s petulant red card a fortnight earlier - as Newcastle ended 70 years without domestic silverware against Liverpool.
Newcastle United want Anthony Elanga
However, Team Talk now claim he could be used as bait to sign Nottingham Forest talisman Elanga. Newcastle have liked the Swede for a while and failed with a deadline-day bid last summer.
That offer was understood to be around £35million but Forest are holding out for closer to the £50million mark. A swap deal with Barnes plus cash may surprise some given he still carries book value on the St James’ Park balance sheet.
It would also not bolster an already wafer-thin squad, with the Magpies still being a winger short ahead of a Champions League campaign. Elanga - bought from Manchester United in 2023 - is nearly five years Barnes’ junior so has a higher ceiling.
Harvey Barnes on future amid Aston Villa links
Aston Villa were linked with a possible summer swoop for Barnes last month. Writing on Instagram following the final-day defeat to Everton, the Toon ace looked ahead to next season - dropping no hints about a possible exit.
“A week to reflect on a historic season for this amazing club and one that’s going to always stick in the memory!” he wrote. “Time for a chill before we do it all again next year.”
‘Impress me’ - Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe hailed Barnes for taking his chance during Gordon’s spell on the sidelines. When asked about the message he would say to Barnes, the Toon boss told reporters: “I think it’s continue to take your chance. I always say that to every player. The training ground is match day for the lads that aren’t playing, so they need to see training as that important.
“They need to impress me. They need to show that they’re better than the player in their position and that’s a really healthy squad dynamic to have, so for anyone not playing, that’s how they need to view it.
“We’ve really tried to focus on Harvey’s game and his training and try to see it as an opportunity to improve him while he’s out of the team, while recognising his qualities and knowing that we want him in the team.
“That’s a very difficult thing because we probably didn’t have the balance of the side right early season. We were trying players in different positions to try and find a way to make that work. We didn’t probably have the right outcome then.”
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