While the January transfer window has only recently come to a close, Tottenham Hotspur will likely already be plotting to strengthen come the end of the season, with a new attacking option believed to be on the agenda for the north London outfit.
Although the Lilywhites have moved to bolster their forward line with the signings of Richarlison and Arnaut Danjuma over the last six months, the former is yet to score a Premier League goal, while the latter only arrived on a temporary deal last month.
With that in mind, there have been reports that Antonio Conte’s side could be identifying another possible recruit ahead of next term, with Leicester City star Harvey Barnes one such asset who is said to be on the club’s radar.
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What’s the latest on Harvey Barnes to Spurs?
A report from football.london back in December suggested that the 25-year-old is a player that sporting director Fabio Paratici is fond of, albeit with Spurs having reservations over a move due to what could be a potentially hefty asking price for the Englishman – whose current deal is set to run until 2025.
Nevertheless, it would appear that Barnes – as well as teammate James Maddison – are among the possible targets for Conte and co this summer, with CBS reporter Ben Jacobs telling GIVEMESPORT:
“Yeah, they’ll definitely be on the list.
“They’re players that have been looked at a long time anyway. What will be interesting is to see whether on the back of this turn in form, Leicester can actually convince players to give this project a bit longer for a revival.
“If they can have a bounce back season for the rest of the term, and take that into the summer, they’ll try to keep these players if they can.”
Could Barnes replace Heung-min Son at Spurs?
Should Tottenham step up their interest in Barnes in the coming months, the £22m-rated man could well prove a dream heir to Heung-min Son down the left flank, with the South Korean sensation currently enduring an underwhelming campaign thus far.
After finishing as the joint-top scorer in the league last season with 23 goals, the 30-year-old has only contributed four Premier League goals this time around, with three of those having come in the win over Leicester back in September.
The typically-reliable asset has looked “so far off the boil” of late, according to talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara, with the former Bayer Leverkusen man no longer offering a real potent threat from his wide berth.
In need of a potential long-term solution in that role, the signing of Barnes – who has eight league goals to his name this season – could prove a perfect option, with the “unbelievable” talent, as previously lauded by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities with the current Spurs man, as per FBref.
The two men offer real a real direct and dynamic quality off the left, with the Foxes ace racking up 58 progressive carries this season and 43 progressive passes as a marker of his creative brilliance, while Son has recorded 55 and 45 for the same two metrics, respectively.
Barnes – who has previously admitted to taking inspiration from both Son and Mohamed Salah – has already showcased his quality to Conte and Paratici in recent times, after producing a standout display in the 4-1 thrashing at the King Power Stadium last weekend.
The former West Bromwich Albion speedster seemingly terrorised debutant Pedro Porro on the day, with the latter man having looked ‘shaky‘ according to journalist Alasdair Gold, notably being ‘left for dead‘ by a clever dummy from Barnes early on, as per the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick.
Those woes ultimately saw the recent arrival withdrawn on the 75-minute mark, while his opposite man ended that eye-catching performance with a goal to his name, having also created one big chance.
That performance will likely have captivated the attention of those at N17 even more, with it set to be no surprise if the Leicester gem is to be the man to emerge as Son’s successor in the near future.
