West Ham lead to the race to sign Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes this summer, but face competition for his signature from other Premier League clubs, as per Matt Law of The Telegraph.

The fire sale has begun at the Kingpower Stadium after their disastrous season ended in relegation to the Championship, and a host of Premier League clubs have lined up to attempt to sign some of the club’s best assets this summer.

West Ham transfer news – Harvey Barnes

It is set to be a busy summer at the London Stadium after West Ham owner David Sullivan confirmed that Declan Rice would be leaving West Ham during this transfer window.

According to Sam Dean and Law, the Hammers have priced Declan Rice at £92m.

Bayern Munich and Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Rice, but Arsenal are currently leading the race to sign the Europa Conference League-winning captain.

West Ham aim to spend the windfall from Rice’s transfer to acquire English winger Harvey Barnes, according to the aforementioned report.

The Irons will face Premier League competition in the fight to sign Barnes, with Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United all expected to make a run at the 25-year-old.

It is believed that the Foxes currently value Barnes at £40m, but West Ham are likely to start the bidding at around £30m.

Should West Ham sign Harvey Barnes?

Since joining the Midlands outfit from Barnsley in 2018, Barnes has been an important piece in the side – as per Transfermarkt, he has notched 45 goals and 32 appearances in 187 appearances, primarily from a left-wing position.

The tricky winger, who has one cap for England, was a key member of the Leicester side that won the FA Cup in 2021, defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium.

Michael Cox of The Athletic once stated that Barnes’ game 'is almost solely based around the simplest concept in football: the give and go', arguing the Burnley native’s style is simple and direct, but effective.

Barnes, who Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp once hailed as an "unbelievable player," loves playing one-two passes with his inside forward, and this play style could work wonders in a David Moyes system where the striker often has his back to goal holding up play.

The speed of the player is also one of his greatest strengths.

His top speed of 35.44km/h ranked sixth of all Premier League midfielders last year, and this electric pace would surely be a significant upgrade on the left wing for West Ham over Said Benrahma.