Huge transfer hint as NUFC target missing from matchday squad, someone else wore his number

Perhaps the biggest indication yet that Newcastle United could be about to land their man has come in the shape of a team sheet released on social media.

Leicester City posted their team sheet on Twitter for their pre-season friendly with Northampton today and noticeable in his absence was Harvey Barnes fueling speculation that he’s nearing a switch to Newcastle United.

While a pre-season match day squad, especially so early in pre-season, shouldn’t give too much away about a player’s future – after all, most of Newcastle’s first team absent from the squad that faced Gateshead today – the thing that really stood out was in the squad numbers.

Lucky number seven … or not

Last season Harvey Barnes wore the number seven shirt for Leicester but in their squad today, the number seven was worn by Wanya Marcal-Madivadua.

Not being in a pre-season friendly squad is easy to explain away, but letting someone take over the number seven shirt seems like a highly unlikely thing to do unless you’ve not been given a squad number.

Putting two and two together here it can only mean that Barnes is on the move.

It doesn’t necessarily mean Barnes is coming to Newcastle, sure, but with all the speculation, all the updates from journalists, it’s more likely he’s going to Newcastle than anywhere else.

Newcastle could now announce the deal in the coming days

Given that Leicester already seem resigned to him going by giving his number to somebody else, it’s now surely just a matter of time before the deal is done.

Newcastle and Leicester are said to still be ironing out the fee for Barnes, but by all accounts that’s pretty much the final hurdle as the player is keen on the move.

I’m expecting this one to be done in the next couple of days now. Fingers crossed.