Newcastle United ‘forced’ to accept Harvey Barnes offer – ‘it’s a shame’

Newcastle United are being “forced” to entertain offers for Harvey Barnes and Miguel Almiron due to their difficult financial situation.

This is according to former Man United and Sunderland chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that, in an ideal world, the Magpies would like to hold on to their fringe players.

Eddie Howe’s side have been restricted in recent transfer windows, and will be again this month, by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

As a result, they will again have to sell players before they can spend big money on new additions, limiting their ability to strengthen in the mid-season window.

Players on the fringes of their squad, including Barnes, Almiron and Kieran Trippier, have all been linked to moves away as a result of the need to sell.

Football Insider first and exclusively revealed in October that Newcastle would be open to offers for Barnes, with a number of clubs closely monitoring his situation.

However, Brown has insisted Newcastle would prefer to keep all three as strong depth options if not for their financial difficulties.

Newcastle United to cash in on fringe players after financial twist

Newcastle’s reluctance to sell big-name stars such as Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes, given their importance to the team, has forced them to consider cashing in on fringe players.

Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after spending over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that their hand has been forced by ongoing frustrations caused by the financial rules.

“They’re being forced to sell fringe players because of these financial issues,” he told Football Insider.

“They’ve got a lot of players like Almiron and Harvey Barnes who haven’t sealed a first-team place, but are decent players for rotation.