Pending official confirmation, Barça has closed the signing of Anthony Gordon in recent hours. According to La Vanguardia, the blaugrana club has reached an agreement with Newcastle for the signing of the skillful English winger for 70 million euros plus another 10 in variables.
This is the seventh most expensive signing in the history of the Barcelona entity. In this case, the 10 million in variables will be difficult to meet, subject to winning titles and a significant participation of Gordon, with more than 60% of the minutes played, in Hansi Flick’s team.
The operation was finalized on Deco’s last trip to London. The sporting director, who has acted discreetly at all times, has been the driving force behind the signing coming to fruition in such a short time, just a few days after Barça finished the season with the last league match. In this way, the Catalan entity has beaten other suitors of Gordon, such as Bayern or Liverpool, to sign one of the big names in the market until 2031.
Gordon’s performance in the Champions League, with 10 goals, four of them against Qarabag, finally convinced Deco of the suitability of signing the Briton, who arrives to strengthen the left wing but can also play as a center forward. The sporting director has handled the negotiations with Flick’s approval, who gave his go-ahead unlike Bastoni, whose possible signing was blocked due to the German’s doubts.
Gordon, 25 years old, could arrive in Barcelona this Thursday to undergo the relevant medical examination with Barça and on June 1 he will join the English national team for the World Cup. Precisely the proximity of the World Cup has been one of the reasons for the quick closing of the Liverpool player’s arrival, as the World Cup could have further driven up the price of the Englishman.
The former Newcastle player, who has scored six goals in the Premier League this season, arrives to strengthen a position usually occupied by Raphinha. The left wing has also been occupied in recent months by Marcus Rashford, still pending to know if Barça will execute the purchase option from Manchester United for 30 million. The arrival of his compatriot does not rule out the Englishman’s continuity, who would end his stage at Camp Nou if a center forward arrives this summer.
Despite the expenditure on Gordon, Barça continues to aim to sign a striker to replace Lewandowski. The Pole was the highest paid in the squad, while Gordon will arrive with a lower salary that still leaves salary margin for the arrival of a goalscorer.
The priority target for the striker position remains Julián Álvarez. Barça hopes that the Argentine will push to facilitate his departure from Atlético, which is willing to sell its great star. The rojiblanco club, which has also received interest from PSG, has hinted that the price of the 26-year-old from Calchín is 150 million, an amount that the blaugrana entity would not reach. Barça is aware that there is still a long summer ahead and the dispute of a World Cup that could revalue some Barcelona players susceptible to being sold, such as Araújo and Koundé.
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