West Ham United could do with landing a new player to soften the imminent exit of Declan Rice, having so far been linked with numerous names without actually getting any deals over the line.
Leicester City's Harvey Banes has been repeatedly touted as a target for David Moyes' side, and they may now be in a position to move for the England international.
How much does Harvey Barnes cost?
Leicester's relegation from the Premier League has already seen them lose the likes of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, with a couple of others – Barnes among them – expected to follow.
The Foxes are certainly not short of interested suitors in the 25-year-old, who is said to be wanted by Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and indeed West Ham.
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham have made an enquiry regarding the one-cap Three Lion, and it has been made clear Leicester are prepared to cash in if his valuation is met.
In what can be considered a big boost for West Ham and the other circling clubs, they are said to be willing to accept £35m for Barnes, having already brought in £40m through the sale of Maddison to Spurs.
Where would Harvey Barnes fit in at West Ham?
Barnes started 32 games for Leicester in the Premier League last season, each of those coming down the left-hand side. The former Barnsley loanee is a player who likes to cut in and find the net from his wide starting position.
That could spell bad news for Said Benrahma in particular, as the Algeria international made the vast majority of his starts out on the left for West Ham last term.
Benrahma did not have the same impact as Barnes in the 2022/23 Premier League, scoring and assisting a combined nine goals to the 14 managed by his possible future team-mate.
Far from being West Ham's weakest attacker last season, Benrahma would be the most natural player for Barnes to replace on the left, with Bowen providing attacking support down the other flank and a new striker leading the line should Moyes get his wish.
Barnes' 13 goals last season places him in the top 1% of all midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for goals scored, as per The Analyst, whereas Benrahma is in the bottom 32% when compared to forwards in the same metric.
Barnes also ranks far higher for shots on target percentage (47.2 v 33.3), as per FBref, and goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (0.47 v 0.22), highlighting just how much more of a menace he is in the final third.
That is not to say Benrahma does not have his own strengths, with his three assists last season two more than Barnes managed, while he is ranked in the top 9% across Europe's elite leagues among his positional peers for chances created.
Barnes is in the bottom 20% of midfielders when it comes to chances created, but it is someone who can put those chances away that Moyes could ideally do with, given his side were outscored by 13 other Premier League teams last campaign.
It is evident that the Englishman is far too good for the Championship, with his ability clear to see for a number of years now. "Barnes is probably one of the biggest talents [at Leicester]," Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said in February 2021.
"I'm not sure if he is respected or appreciated as much as he should be. He is an unbelievable player to be honest, a proper Leicester product."
A Leicester product he may be, but it could well be West Ham fans who get to enjoy seeing him regularly from this summer should Moyes get his wish. That will of much delight to the fans, although perhaps not so much to Benrahma.
