After winning Europa League qualification for the second time in three years, Aston Villa are considering a summer move for Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes. With Unai Emery balancing spending rules, Villa also weigh potential sales like Morgan Rogers as they map out
Harvey Barnes is on Aston Villa’s transfer shortlist, and it’s the kind of target that fits exactly where Unai Emery wants his team to hurt next.
Villa have qualified for Europe’s main club competition for the second time in three years. setting up a summer that will be about more than adding talent—it will be about finding the money and doing it fast enough to go into next season’s Champions League campaign sharper than they were this time around.
Barnes, 28, is one of the names Villa have circled as they look to add pace to their attack. He has two years remaining on his Newcastle contract. and this season he delivered a mix of production and threat from wide areas. scoring 16 goals in all competitions. including six in the Champions League. Right-footed. Barnes can play on either flank. something Villa could lean on when they’re trying to hit opponents quickly—especially on the counter-attack.
The price tag is the obvious sticking point. Barnes would not come cheap, and Newcastle would be looking to recoup the majority of the £38million fee they paid to sign him from Leicester three years ago.
There’s also a timing factor Villa will be watching closely. The possibility of fellow attacker Anthony Gordon moving to Bayern Munich could influence Newcastle’s stance on any sale, as the club weigh what comes in—and what they can afford to lose—this summer.
For Barnes, there’s the attraction of continuing in the Champions League. And there’s a more personal pull too: moving to Aston Villa would also mean he could be closer to his family, who are based in the Midlands.
Emery’s summer plans, though, come with constraints. Staying in line with spending rules is an ongoing challenge for Villa, and their activity this summer may well centre on how successfully they can sell.
Morgan Rogers is central to that balancing act. Villa are believed to be open to offers for the winger, who is valued at around £80m, with any deal giving them room to manoeuvre in the market.
Emery is then expected to focus on recruitment in multiple areas. He would like at least one new winger, as well as another midfielder. And if Emi Martinez moves on, Villa would need a goalkeeper, with James Trafford remaining their No 1 target for that position.
Aston Villa Unai Emery Harvey Barnes Newcastle Champions League Europa League transfer shortlist Morgan Rogers Emi Martinez James Trafford Anthony Gordon