Aston Villa leapfrogged by Premier League rivals in race to sign £50 million-rated ‘unbelievable player’

After already snapping up Youri Tielemans on a free deal, Aston Villa are continuing to raid the already-wounded Foxes. Following their relegation, Leicester City have braced themselves to lose a chunk of their squad, and Villa have now set their sights on Harvey Barnes.

The England international is receiving a lot of interest right now and naturally, the race for his signature is extremely competitive. So much so, that Unai Emery and his side have been elbowed out of the way by Newcastle United, who are now in pole position to sign Barnes, according to The Guardian.

Eddie Howe is on the market for a left-winger and a potential sale of Allan Saint-Maximin could pave the way for a new recruit, which edges them close to signing the Leicester star. West Ham, who are looking to splash the Declan Rice cash, and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in Barnes, so Villa face pretty heavy competition.

Even Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has shown appreciation of the Englishman. Back in 2021, the German had a lot of praise for the winger and described him as one of the “biggest talents” at Leicester.

“I’m not sure if he is respected or appreciated as much as he should be, he is an unbelievable player to be honest, a proper Leicester product.”

Spurs have already snapped up James Maddison in a £40 million deal, and they’d be reuniting the two former Leicester stars if they can lure Barnes in. Although, based on the recent revelations, the 25-year-old could be Newcastle-bound.

Villa could still bend the narrative in their favour though, having qualified for European football and consistently going toe-to-toe with the strongest teams in the Premier League last season. If they do move for Barnes though, they will have to reach the reported £50 million asking price set by Leicester, although the Foxes may be forced to lower that amount as they head into the Championship.