West Ham United have been handed a fresh boost over transfer target Harvey Barnes, with journalist Sami Mokbel, via TBR, revealing that the player might prefer a switch to the Hammers over a team like Tottenham.
How many goals has Harvey Barnes scored?
The 25-year-old has spent the entirety of his career with Leicester, having only ever left the Foxes on loan spells. After turns with MK Dons, West Brom and Barnsley, he was then given the opportunity to try his luck in the Foxes first-team back in the 2017/18 season – and he hasn't looked back since.
He's become a key player for the Midlands club and helped them to claim three consecutive top half finishes in the Premier League prior to their relegation in 2022/23.
Along the way, he has gradually grown in terms of his input and goal contributions to the team too. Since becoming a regular starter in the top flight for Leicester, he has gone on to hit double-digit goal contribution tallies in the last four campaigns for the club. Last season, he managed 13 goals and one assist in 32 starts – which actually made him their top league goalscorer over James Maddison.
With the Foxes now facing at least a year in the Championship, Barnes could finally be off to pastures new. West Ham have shown an interest in signing the player, but so too have other Premier League sides like Aston Villa, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Now, according to a report from journalist Sami Mokbel, Barnes may snub a switch to a team like Tottenham due to a lack of potential playing time. Instead, he suggested that the winger may prefer a move to West Ham, where he can get much more frequent action.
What has been said about Harvey Barnes?
He said: "You mention Harvey Barnes there and there is an interest in Harvey Barnes. But equally, Harvey Barnes has a number of options, and while he would be attracted to Tottenham he may look at that and think ‘wait a minute how often am I going to play here?'
"I think he would look at a club like West Ham or Aston Villa maybe where he knows he would play regularly where at Tottenham there may not be that guarantee."
Barnes would certainly be a player who could upgrade the current West Ham frontline. Despite Leicester floundering in the Premier League last season, he still emerged as one of their better players, with football journalist Josh Bunting calling one of his goals "stunning" during their battle against relegation.
It shows that the England man was able to step up when needed for the Foxes and shows he can thrive in the big pressure moments – and the Hammers could definitely use a player like that as they tackle Europe again.
