Spanish champions Barcelona have reached an agreement with Newcastle United for the transfer of England forward Anthony Gordon, valued at €70 million ($81.4m) plus possible add-ons, as confirmed by sources to ESPN.
The 25-year-old Gordon had attracted interest from clubs such as Bayern Munich and Liverpool, but Barcelona appears set to secure the winger, with insiders reporting he is enthusiastic about the move.
Bayern Munich made a significant effort to sign Gordon, though Newcastle was hesitant to let him go, and the player wasn’t advocating for a transfer. Ultimately, the prevailing opinion was that Barcelona’s bid was favorable, assisting the Premier League club in their upcoming summer refresh.
Barcelona sought a swift agreement, ideally before the World Cup, especially after missing out on Nico Williams over the past two summers.
Williams ultimately chose to remain with Athletic Club, prompting Barcelona to later secure Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United during the transfer window.
Barcelona’s interest in Gordon first emerged earlier this month when the player’s agent, Adam Dugdale, met with sporting director Deco at the club’s training facility.
This week, Deco has been in London for meetings with several potential signings, although specifics remain unconfirmed.
Gordon’s standout performance in the Champions League this season, where he netted 10 goals in 12 outings as Newcastle advanced to the round of 16 before being eliminated by Barcelona, has certainly drawn attention.
Simultaneously, Barcelona is looking into options for a new No. 9 following Robert Lewandowski‘s announcement of his impending departure when his contract expires next month.
Club insiders assert that the acquisition of Gordon is not linked to their search for a striker. Possible targets include Atlético Madrid‘s Julián Álvarez and Chelsea‘s João Pedro as replacements for the departing Lewandowski.
Sources mentioned that Gordon’s potential signing wouldn’t eliminate the chance of Rashford’s return, although this seems unlikely considering both players favor the same left wing position, where Raphinha also features.
Rashford, who contributed 14 goals and 14 assists during his loan at Barcelona this season, is expected to return to Manchester United this summer, but the Blaugrana have an option to make his loan permanent for €30m ($35m).
Barcelona aims to negotiate that fee with United or explore another loan option, though Rashford would need to agree to a pay cut.
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Sources from Manchester United indicate that the English side has no plans to renegotiate the pre-arranged fee.
ESPN has previously reported that Barcelona is also keen on acquiring an additional centre-back this summer.
The club’s ability to manage all these transactions within LaLiga’s spending restrictions, recently raised to €433m ($501m) annually, remains to be seen.
With the return to Spotify Camp Nou and a gradual reduction in the wage bill, club officials suggest that Barcelona is poised for significant signings this summer.
However, ESPN reported earlier this month that despite an improvement in spending capacity, the club may need to sell key players in order to accomplish all its summer plans.
This does not imply the club cannot make signings beforehand; in past seasons, they have experienced delays in registering new players after acquiring them before offloading others.
On the field, under Hansi Flick’s guidance, Barcelona has made significant progress over the past two years, clinching back-to-back LaLiga titles and consistently reaching the later stages of the Champions League.
Tom Hamilton from ESPN contributed to this article.