Newcastle are risking another Andy Carroll disaster by making a move for Chelsea star Ross Barkley.

What's the story?

The England international spent the last Premier League season on loan at Aston Villa, and endured a difficult campaign in the Midlands, managing just three goals and one assist in the top-flight.

Now, The Athletic's Chris Waugh has claimed that were Barkley to be made available for another loan deal by Chelsea this summer, then he would be of interest to Steve Bruce's Newcastle.

Barkley another Carroll

Earning a reported £100k-a-week, Barkley would be the kind of disaster-class signing that Carroll has proven to be in his second stint at St James' Park.

Bruce offered the towering striker a chance to make his return to Tyneside, and it's fair to say it's been nothing short of a nightmare, with Carroll's injury problems once again taking its toll and barely managing anything of note - he's scored just one goal in the 43 appearances since coming back.

Barkley is similarly on a real decline after exploding onto the scene with Everton, and his stint at Villa has been marred by poor performances and injuries too - he missed several weeks in the middle of the campaign with a hamstring injury.

Speaking on The Athletic’s Aston Villa-themed 1874 podcast, journalist Gregg Evans said: "He doesn’t do enough for me now. I’ve seen enough of Ross Barkley now to realise that he’s becoming a bit of a liability for Villa. He’s not helping out enough as he should, really. Whether that’s impacting on John McGinn, I don’t know."

The England international endured a shocking second-half of the season in particular, with no goals in the Premier League since the end of January when he bagged in a 1-0 win over Southampton.

And, speaking after he was taken off yet again in the second half against Leicester, Sky Sports pundit Alex Scott slammed him for his display, saying: "For me it’s another missed opportunity for Ross Barkley to show up and demand, he’s been subbed off again and you can see in his face he’s not happy. But how many chances does a player need?

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"You need to take it upon yourself. There’s only so many chances that he can be deserving. He’s missed another opportunity today."

Bruce desperately needs to avoid making yet another transfer howler and steer well away from signing Barkley, even on loan.

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