Newcastle United are reportedly willing to sell winger Allan Saint-Maximin this summer, in order to be able to sign Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes.
How many goals has Allan Saint-Maximin scored for Newcastle?
The £38,000-a-week attacker has been a good servant for the Magpies down the years, lighting up some matches with his quick feet, trickery and unpredictability. As time has gone on, however, and as Newcastle's squad has become more formidable, his importance to the team has diminished.
Last season, Saint-Maximin only started 12 of his side's 38 Premier League matches, coming on as a substitute in another 13 games, and he scored just once in that time, taking his total Premier League tally to 12 in four seasons.
As the campaign went on, and as Newcastle increasingly pushed for a top-four finish, it became increasingly clear that the 26-year-old generally wasn't part of their strongest possible starting lineup, throwing doubt over his long-term future.
The Frenchman's current Magpies deal doesn't expire until the summer of 2026, but as things stand, it would be a surprise if he stayed until then. In fact, it looks as though he could even depart during the current summer transfer, following a new update regarding the situation.
What's the latest on Allan Saint-Maximin's future?
According to Football Insider, Newcastle are actively open to the idea to move Saint-Maximin on this summer, gettng some quick cash in to offset the move for Barnes:
"Newcastle are willing to part with Allan Saint-Maximin in order to land top target Harvey Barnes, sources have told Football Insider. Football Insider revealed on Saturday (8 July) that the Magpies need to make room in their squad for the signing of Harvey Barnes by offloading another first-teamer.
"It is believed Eddie Howe and the Newcastle recruitment staff would be willing to sacrifice Saint-Maximin, 26, if it meant striking a deal for Barnes."
In truth, it has reached the stage where Saint-Maximin is an expendable figure at St James' Park, so moving him on this summer would make plenty of sense, assuming Barnes comes in, or someone of a similar ilk.
As alluded to above, for all the tricks and flicks, and dangerous mazy runs, the winger is too often guilty of lacking that killer final ball or finish, as shown by his disappointing numbers last season, in a team that was thriving for the vast majority of 2022/23.
In comparison, Barnes scored 13 goals in a Leicester City side who would ultimately suffer relegation to the Championship, outlining how much more productive one player is than the other, despite playing very similar left-sided roles.
Given Saint-Maximin's current contract situation, now would be a shrewd time to let him leave, in terms of receiving a lot of money for his services while the club are in a strong bargaining position, and he could jump at the opportunity to move elsewhere and be a key player for another team.
If he ends up staying, it is certainly no disaster for Newcastle, in terms of squad options – Andros Townsend has called him "phenomenal" in the past – but he has to accept that he isn't an important figure moving forward.