Leicester City will find it 'difficult to keep' Harvey Barnes at the King Power Stadium after suffering relegation to the Championship, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GIVEMESPORT.
The Foxes, under the guidance of caretaker manager Dean Smith following Brendan Rodgers' sacking, dropped out of the Premier League despite a final day win over West Ham United.
Leicester transfer news - Harvey Barnes
According to The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur are preparing to raid Leicester after setting their sights on signing Barnes and James Maddison.
The report suggests the attack-minded duo would command a fee of £40million each, while Newcastle United also hold an interest after qualifying for the Champions League.
But Tottenham and Newcastle could be left frustrated in their pursuit of Barnes as respected journalist Jacobs recently told GIVEMESPORT that Aston Villa are 'quietly confident' of striking a deal with their Midlands neighbours.
It has emerged that Villa Park is considered the likeliest destination for the winger due to Unai Emery's side being able to put together a strong financial package.
West Ham United are further admirers of Barnes, so it appears that Barnes is destined for an immediate return to the Premier League.
What has Ben Jacobs said about Barnes?
Jacobs believes Leicester have been left in a testing situation as relegation to the Championship means the likes of Barnes may leave in cut-price deals.
The journalist is confident that the one-cap England international has already made his final appearance for the Foxes.
Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT: "I think Leicester are in a really difficult position because there are going to be star assets that won't stay in the Championship and will be available, potentially, in bargain deals. Harvey Barnes will be one of them.
"Leicester have always intimated, especially if they had stayed in the Premier League, that they'd love to keep Barnes whereas, with Maddison, there's a bit more resignation that he will go and he is ready for the next step in his career. Youri Tielemans is available on a free transfer unless a massive twist takes place.
"Barnes has always been the one that Leicester wanted to keep, but it's unthinkable - in many ways - that a player of his quality would stay around in the Championship. Even if Leicester stayed up on the final day, it was still going to be difficult to keep Harvey Barnes."
How has Barnes performed for Leicester?
Barnes showed that he is a serious threat in the final third of the pitch during the 2022/23 campaign as, according to Transfermarkt, he still found the back of the net 13 times in a struggling side which ultimately suffered relegation.
That took his tally up to 45 goals over the course of his Leicester career, while he has also registered a further 32 assists in 187 appearances.
WhoScored handed Barnes an average match rating of 6.66 for his Premier League performances throughout the season, which he ended as the Foxes' leading marksman.
The 25-year-old boasted 87 per cent pass accuracy and won three ground duels, as per Sofascore, during a goalscoring display against West Ham on the final day.
But it appears likely that 2-1 victory at the King Power Stadium was the £100,000-per-week man's final outing for Leicester.