Harvey Barnes decision turns heads as Newcastle United stars get excited about Anthony Elanga move

The £38million winger is focused on life in black and white as Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa linked with summer moves

Anthony Elanga may still cost Newcastle United a hefty fee north of £60m this summer - despite talk of a swap deal with Harvey Barnes over the weekend.

Reports of an exchange deal for Barnes have been played down by sources at Forest with the City Ground side's initial stance on the Sweden star that he is not for sale. That could change if a big bid is tabled with Elanga admired by Newcastle.

Barnes was delighted with his contributions at United last term and after fighting back from injuries in his first campaign, the left winger hit the heights in the second half of the season when scoring nine goals and producing five assists.

Elanga got some Newcastle fans excited by featuring a Toon jersey in one of his holiday pics with Sven Botman, Will Osula and Anthony Gordon all responding in the comment box to fuel hope of a move north for transfer starved fans.

Elanga was actually wearing a Bournemouth shirt due to his friendship with Antoine Semenyo and Forest chiefs are satisfied that the post was nothing more than that.

Chronicle Live understands that Nottingham Forest see Elanga as a "core player" and will want top dollar for his services this summer.

The suggestion of Barnes being part of an exchange was not stood up by United over the weekend, but wheeling and dealing is possible according to St James' Park sources.

As last summer proved even Elliot Anderson's initial desire to stay was not enough to prevent him being sold. Barnes could face a decision if Newcastle accept a bid with Aston Villa also though to have the winger on their list.

However, from a personal point of view Barnes wants to use the Champions League as his stage to help force his way back into the England squad.

The former Leicester City star is also eligible for Scotland and the door remains open into Steve Clarke's squad too.

That could give Barnes two chances to play at World Cup 2026 next summer in the US, Canada and Mexico. But for now, Barnes is looking forward to starting pre-season with the Magpies.

He missed just seven games last season with a thigh injury and grasped his chance when Anthony Gordon was suspended for the League Cup final.

Eddie Howe worked hard to improve Barnes last season and said: "We’ve really tried to focus on Harvey’s game and his training and try to see it as an opportunity to improve him while he’s out of the team, while recognising his qualities and knowing that we want him in the team.

"That’s a very difficult thing because we probably didn’t have the balance of the side right early season.

"We were trying players in different positions to try and find a way to make that work. We didn’t probably have the right outcome then."