Leicester City star’s stance on Aston Villa move revealed

Villa have received a transfer boost in their pursuit of Harvey Barnes.

Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes would be open to a move to Premier League outfit Aston Villa this summer, according to Birmingham Live.

The 25-year-old is currently on Villa’s target list – and is one of a number of players who have been linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium in the past month or two following their relegation from the top flight.

James Maddison sealed his move to Tottenham Hotspur last night – but others including Timothy Castagne have also been linked with an exit during what could be a summer of change in the Midlands.

Youri Tielemans is already confirmed to be heading to Villa Park following the expiration of his contract with the Foxes – and Barnes could potentially join him. However, Unai Emery’s side won’t be short of competition for him.

Who is in the race for Harvey Barnes?

The winger isn’t just attracting interest from Villa, but also from West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Newcastle United, meanwhile, aren’t believed to be in the mix for his signature but Arsenal have been linked with him. Whether the Gunners will move for him remains to be seen though with Kai Havertz joining and Declan Rice being heavily linked.

In terms of Villa’s interest, Birmingham Live believes he’s just one of a number of attacking targets this summer, meaning a move to Villa Park isn’t guaranteed.

And with Leicester seemingly yet to determine his price tag, he may need to wait until the latter stages of the summer to secure an exit.

Should Harvey Barnes be open to a move to Aston Villa?

Leicester are in a stronger negotiating position with Barnes than they were with Maddison, because the former has more time left on his contract.

With this, the winger needs to prepare for the possibility of spending a season in the Championship, even though he arguably deserves to remain at the top level.

Scoring 13 goals in 34 league appearances last season, that is a fantastic achievement and if he can replicate that form for the Foxes during the 2023/24 campaign, he could play a big part in guiding them back to the top flight at the first time of asking.

But if he can secure an exit and guarantee himself a decent amount of game time at Villa, he should definitely be looking to do that because there are no guarantees that Leicester will secure promotion at the end of next season.

In saying this, they are probably in a strong position with the squad and the funds they may have to spend, so he may only spend one season in the second tier if he stays where he is.