Harvey Barnes was back in pre-season training with Leicester City this morning after a weekend of intense talk of Newcastle United wanting to sign the England international.
The Magpies do have an interest and it has been long-term interest at that but the sticking point for Barnes is the asking price. Sources at Leicester confirmed that Barnes was training with the Foxes "as normal" this morning when asked by Chronicle Live.
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Of course, things can change rapidly in the transfer window and one phone call can see the player heading for a new destination. However, Leicester are trying to box clever when it comes to sales in the transfer market after relegation.
Barnes finds himself in a similar position to James Maddison last month when Newcastle did express an interest but felt the price tag of the attacker did not match their valuation before he signed for Tottenham Hotspur. Barnes has interest from West Ham while Aston Villa have also been linked and Leicester want at least £40million for the left-sided star.
The Leicester star is believed to be keen on Newcastle and personal terms would not be an issue. But Newcastle have made it clear where they stand on steep asking prices.
At the close of play over the weekend Newcastle had not submitted an official offer for Barnes. Eddie Howe and his squad are now back in pre-season training with the Magpies' first game of the summer taking place at lunchtime on Saturday at Gateshead's International Stadium.
As things stand, Howe's roster will have a familiar feel to it but Newcastle are determined to add another new face to the squad before the new season kicks off next month.
