The bombshell Newcastle United & Aston Villa transfer swap that would spice up 2025/26 season opener - opinion

Newcastle’s 2025/26 season is taking shape with the Premier League fixtures revealed earlier this week.

Eddie Howe’s first-team squad are set to return for pre-season training on July 7 yet as things stand, there are no new players in the building.

In fact there could be fewer players with Callum Wilson and John Ruddy out of contract at the end of the month and yet to agree new deals. Jamal Lewis is also set to leave but had been training away from the club after returning from a loan spell at Sao Paulo.

There have been no major transfer exits either with only the pre-arranged £20million sale of Lloyd Kelly to Juventus, which is set to be officially completed on June 30.

June 30 also marks the PSR deadline for clubs looking to manage their finances carefully. Newcastle had to pay a close eye on that date last summer as they scrambled to raise funds to adhere to the Premier League’s financial rules.

A year on, and Newcastle are in a far healthier position while there have been claims Villa may need to sell a big-name player in order to raise funds to comply with PSR this time around.

Villa have already sold the likes of Jhon Duran and Douglas Luiz for significant fees over the last 12 months to raise funds. But a January splurge that brought Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, Axel Disasi, Donyell Malen and Andrés García to the club has dented the club’s finances.

Missing out on Champions League qualification to Newcastle also came as a blow having made around £100million from reaching the quarter-final of the competition last season.

As such, Villa could be more receptive to selling players than they would have been in previous seasons. Last summer, Newcastle felt they were forced to sell Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh due to PSR.

All the latest Newcastle United news straight to your inbox - just a few clicks away

Newcastle United & Aston Villa swap deal proposed

Mail Online have claimed Aston Villa are interested in Newcastle winger Harvey Barnes. Barnes has enjoyed a solid season on Tyneside, scoring nine goals in 33 Premier League appearances.

The signing of Barnes for £38million from Leicester City in 2023 raised some questions from a PSR standpoint. Barnes is one of the only major Newcastle signings in recent seasons who has seen his value plateau rather than increase significantly.

Newcastle and Villa have already been linked with a potential swap deal involving Barnes and winger Jacob Ramsey.

It’s a move that could benefit Villa in terms of PSR due to amortisation and academy players being viewed as ‘pure profit’ sales, while Newcastle could get a bargain that would unlock more doors in the transfer market.

But Geordie Journos proposed a more outlandish swap deal that actually addresses Newcastle’s needs directly. While Ramsey is a player of high potential, he plays predominantly on the left wing, a position that is currently occupied by Anthony Gordon.

A centre-back signing has been high on Newcastle’s agenda for the past year, yet it has not been addressed.

Journalist Liam Kennedy said via Geordie Journos on YouTube: “I’d be looking for a buyer for Harvey Barnes [this summer], no doubt about it for me.”

The Magpies walked away from a Marc Guehi deal with Crystal Palace last summer over a transfer fee. And perhaps better value could be found at Aston Villa, with a swap for Barnes on the table.

Explaining an ideal piece of business he’d like to see Newcastle do this summer, Kennedy added: “I look at Aston Villa’s squad and say ‘who is the two or three players you would take out of that squad?’

“Obviously the goalkeeper [Emi Martinez] is one because he’s unbelievable. Then the two are [Morgan] Rogers and [Ezri] Konsa that I would look to take [to Newcastle] if you had a blank slate.

“I’d take Watkins as well but, for different reasons, I wouldn’t go down that route.

“So I’m doing a PSR swindle and testing the waters with Ezri Konsa and he’d be the one that I’d love to take. I’d be going for Ezri Konsa and I’d be looking to get good money for Harvey Barnes as well so Newcastle can get their money back. That’s what I would look to do.”

The Shields Gazette’s Newcastle reporter Dominic Scurr added: “I like Konsa as a Marc Guehi alternative. You look at Guehi as a player, Konsa is a similar profile but can play right-back as well, he’s got that versatility. He’s a little bit older but a really solid player and offers as much as Guehi would.”

“He’s better,” Kennedy interjected.

Aston Villa and Newcastle meet at Villa Park on the opening weekend of the Premier League season on August 16 (12:30pm kick-off) so any business between the two clubs before then will only add some extra spice to proceedings.

The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.

Eddie Howe on Harvey Barnes’s impact at Newcastle United

Barnes’ first season at Newcastle was badly hit by injury, but the winger was still able to contribute with five goals and three assists in only seven Premier League starts.

But in the 2024/25 season he managed to have a more consistent run in the side, though he has been moved around between the left wing and right wing depending on Gordon’s availability.

“Harvey's played in his position and he’s played it very well,” Howe said. “He's an undoubted goal threat in every game and he's one of our highest players for shooting and chances created, so I'm delighted that he's shown everybody just how good he is.”

Newcastle ideally want to keep Barnes but concede that every player has a price in a PSR world and the 27-year-old doesn’t have the same untouchable status of Alexander Isak or Sandro Tonali.

Your next Newcastle United read: The bizarre NUFC & Nottingham Forest swap deal that would break PSR