HARVEY BARNES is considering an international allegiance switch from England to Scotland, reports suggest.
The winger, who joined Newcastle from Leicester over the summer for £38million, missed Gareth Southgate’s latest Three Lions squad.
The 25-year-old is eligible to play for the Scots through his grandparents.
Having earned just one cap for England – a friendly against Wales in 2020 – Barnes could be tempted to make the switch.
He failed to make Southgate’s provisional 55-man squad for the Qatar World Cup, a long-term consequence of the injury which unfortunately also ruled him out of the Euro 2020 squad.
Now, according to The Times, he is open-minded about the move despite declining approaches from Scotland in the past.
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Scotland boss Steve Clarke is said to be a huge fan of Barnes.
A 3-0 win over Cyprus has put Scotland on the cusp of Euro 2024 qualification after a stunning campaign which has also included a victory over Spain.
Should Norway draw with Georgia in Oslo on Tuesday, Clarke’s side will be able to book their tickets to host nation Germany.
And securing early qualification could be a contributing factor to Barnes’ decision.
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He is also said to be aware of Clarke’s fervour for him.
Angus Gunn is now the Scotland No1 after making his own respective switch from England earlier this year.
Barnes Toon team-mate Elliot Anderson was called up by the Scots after binning the idea of playing for the Three Lions.
At St James’ Park he is yet to start a game, but contributed a goal and assist in a 22-minute cameo on his debut against Aston Villa.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
