Harvey Barnes 'happy' about joining Aston Villa, his family already settled in the area - Keith Wyness

Harvey Barnes is keen to swap Newcastle United for Aston Villa ahead of the 2026-27 season.

That is according to former Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the former Leicester City man is keen to return to the Midlands to be closer to his family.

This comes after the news that the Villans have earmarked the winger as a clear target for their summer transfer business.

Wyness believes that his former club will get a deal for the 28-year-old over the line in the coming months, and added that he would be a "great" addition to Unai Emery's squad.

Barnes notched a career-best 16 goals in all competitions for the Magpies in 2025-26, but could now leave as part of a rebuild at St James' Park.

The wideman is valued at around the £40million mark, and Villa already have their hearts set on adding him to their squad.

Keith Wyness: I expect Harvey Barnes to join Aston Villa

Villa's former chief Wyness - who served as CEO at Villa Park between 2016 and 2018 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs - believes that the second city outfit would grow stronger if they landed Barnes.

Emery's men are preparing to return to the Champions League next term, and are eyeing several improvements to their squad as a result.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness revealed that he expects their move for Barnes to be completed.

"Giving up (Anthony) Gordon and Barnes would be a lot for Newcastle. I think Barnes would be happy with a move to Villa. His family is in the Midlands, so that would make sense, and I think it would strengthen Villa," he said.

"I think it would be a great one for Villa to be able to do. Newcastle would be sad to lose him, and it would mean that they would have some serious issues up front. Nick Woltemade didn't fire as they hoped despite a bit of a good start.

"I think Barnes will go to Villa, but the question mark for Newcastle is what are they going to do up front? Let's see, but I do expect him to be going down to Villa."

Barnes chase poised at 50/50 stage

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that Barnes' future "could go either way" at the moment.

He revealed that Eddie Howe and Co. are "hopeful" that they can keep hold of the England international, who he says has attracted plenty of interest in recent years.

However, Brown questioned their ability to keep the star if Villa came calling with Champions League football, as he feels that the lure of that competition could prove too strong to refuse.

The Tynesiders are already facing the prospect of rebuilding their attack before the end of the window, and an exit for Barnes would leave them with yet another issue to address.