West Ham United can 'play on' Leicester City's financial state and their relegation to the Sky Bet Championship as they attempt to sign Harvey Barnes this summer, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
What's the latest transfer news involving Harvey Barnes?
According to 90min, Barnes is believed to be one of West Ham United's key transfer targets this window and talks are advancing over a potential transfer for the 25-year-old to the London Stadium.
Said Benrahma, Maxwel Cornet and Pablo Fornals are among the options David Moyes has to choose from on the left-hand side of attack; however, the Scot would be willing to offload players this off-season to freshen things up.
The Guardian report that Newcastle United are 'leading the race' to bring in Barnes while Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur also hold an attraction towards the £35k-a-week ace.
Leicester City would hope to demand a fee of around £50 million for the England international, though they acknowledge that they may be forced to sell for a lower price due to being relegated to the English second tier.
Following the sale of Declan Rice, West Ham United will have the financial capability to attract Barnes alongside the fact they will feature in the Europa League. On the other hand, Newcastle United's involvement in Champions League football could tempt Barnes to move to the North East over other options, as per The Daily Mail.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs thinks that West Ham United will try to haggle with Leicester City to land Barnes at a cheaper fee than £50 million.
Jacobs told FFC: "The challenge with Barnes, who West Ham have looked at as well because they want more quality on the left, is price, with Leicester potentially asking for £45 or £50 million, but they were pushing for a higher number with James Maddison and eventually, there was a fee settled on for £40 million plus add-ons. Suitors are going to be able to play on the fact that Leicester's finances aren't great and they've been relegated as well."
Would Harvey Barnes be a good fit for West Ham United?
However, this could all mean nothing as Newcastle are supposedly closing in on the attacker.
It's hard to argue that Barnes wouldn't be a good fit for a club like West Ham United, especially taking into account his consistent displays in the Premier League over the course of the last few years.
Last term, the 25-year-old enjoyed a productive time of things on the left flank for Leicester City, registering 13 goals and three assists in 40 appearances, as per Transfermarkt.
Being able to lay on opportunities on a plate for his teammates is a big part of Barnes' game and he managed to record 63 successful shot-creating actions in 2022/23 in the Premier League, as per FBRef.
WhoScored also show that Barnes averaged around 2.1 shots on goal per match in the English top flight over the course, proving to be a difficult presence for opposition backlines to keep at bay.
West Ham United boss Moyes will be keen to build on his side's Europa Conference League triumph this season as he aims to make strides in the Europa League and bringing in someone like Barnes would help to continue the Hammers' upward trajectory.