A number of Champions League clubs have targeted Anthony Gordon.
Ending the season as top Newcastle United goalscorer with 17 goals in all competitions, Bayern Munich are widely expected to win the race to sign the former Everton winger.
Broad agreement on personal terms and a five year contract said to have been agreed between the Bundesliga champions and Anthony Gordon, the two clubs now in ongoing talks to try and reach agreement on the transfer fee.
Anthony Gordon has featured in 46 of Newcastle United’s matches this season with 36 starts and 10 appearances off the bench. In the Premier League there have been 24 starts for the England winger and two PL appearances off the bench.
Harvey Barnes has ended the 2025/26 season as Newcastle United’s second highest goalscorer, with 16 goals in all competitions for NUFC.
With the season ended, The Mail report that Barnes is also now being targeted by at least one Champions League club.
Tom Collomosse is a footballer reporter for The Mail and he claims his information is that: ‘Harvey Barnes is among the players on Aston Villa’s list as they try to add pace to their attack for next season’s Champions League campaign. Villa have qualified for Europe’s main club competition for the second time in three years and will look to improve their squad this summer – though staying in line with spending rules is an ongoing challenge. Barnes has two years remaining on his Newcastle contract and is a proven creator and scorer from wide areas. He scored 16 goals in all competitions this season, including six in the Champions League, and his speed would also make Villa more dangerous on the counter-attack. Barnes is right-footed but can play on either flank.’
The man from The Mail continuing: ‘For Villa, the transfer market will be another balancing act, and Barnes, 28, would not come cheap. He joined Newcastle from Leicester three years ago and the Magpies would be looking to recoup the majority of the £38million fee. Yet Barnes may be attracted by the idea of continuing to play in the Champions League and moving to Villa would mean he could be closer to his family, who are based in the Midlands.’
Interestingly, the report going on to say how Aston Villa are looking to help fund their summer transfers: ‘Villa’s activity this summer may centre around how successfully they can sell. It is believed the club are open to offers for Morgan Rogers, who is valued at around £80m, as it would give them room for manoeuvre in the market. Boss Unai Emery would like at least one new winger, as well as another midfielder and – if Emi Martinez moves on – a goalkeeper. James Trafford remains their No 1 target for that position.’
From everything I have seen of Aston Villa this season, Morgan Rogers looks the one player they can’t afford to lose under any circumstances. So often he has been the difference maker and looking at the stats he has 25 direct goal involvements for Villa across all competitions, scoring 14 and 11 assists.
Harvey Barnes this season has had 22 direct goal involvements across the various competitions, scoring 16 and six assists.
In today’s market I would suggest the £80m valuation suggested on the 23-year-old Morgan Rogers is on the cheap side, somebody who scores and creates so many goals.
The same with 28-year-old Harvey Barnes, a valuation of less than the £38m Newcastle United paid three years ago for him??
With so few regular goalscorers in the Newcastle United squad, could NUFC afford to lose both Gordon and Barnes?
I have no idea as to how much substance, if any, there is in this transfer interest claim reported by The Mail. However, Harvey Barnes is an interesting case for Newcastle United, a player who is often seen as more effective coming off the bench than starting.
Harvey Barnes has actually made a remarkable 57 appearances in the 58 Newcastle United games this season. However, that is comprised of only 34 starts and the other 23 off the bench. Indeed, in the Premier League his appearance record is even more startling when it comes to the split. Harvey Barnes has played in 37 of Newcastle’s 38 PL matches this 2025/26 season but it is 19 starts and 18 sub appearances, almost an exact even split.
When you actually compare minutes on the pitch this season for their respective clubs, Morgan Rogers has actually spent almost 50% more time on the pitch than Harvey Barnes (who will turn 29 in December). Yet the Newcastle player with only three less direct goal involvements (22 v 25) in all competitions than the Villa player.
If you accept that Harvey Barnes is a great impact player off the bench, far more effective than he is as a regular starter, is he a luxury Newcastle United can afford to have next season?
Like any player who might be potentially sold, it always comes down to how much you can get for them and then what that extra financial muscle will be used for, especially when it comes to the direct replacement.
It appears Newcastle United fans are set to see what an Anthony Gordon transfer fee will help NUFC do in the transfer market when it comes to bringing new players in. Will we also be seeing what a Harvey Barnes transfer fee will help United do this summer?