The transfer poker for Anthony Gordon continues to gather pace – and is becoming increasingly complicated for FC Bayern. In addition to the Munich club, FC Barcelona have now apparently also registered concrete interest in the England international, meaning that the German record champions are facing top-class competition in their bid for the winger
As the radio station RAC1 reports, Gordon is high on the Catalans‘ wish list. Sporting director Deco is specifically looking for a flexible attacking player who can be deployed on the left flank in particular. The background to this is the lack of personnel behind Raphinha, who has missed several games this season due to injury and has only made 31 competitive appearances
Gordon fits the bill perfectly: fast, dynamic and able to play in several attacking positions. His performances in the Champions League in particular are said to have made an impression on Barcelona
According to the Spanish newspaper SPORT, a meeting was recently held between Barcelona and the Englishman’s advisor
Bayern pursue a clear transfer strategy
The 25-year-old has also been considered a top candidate to strengthen the wing-back position at FC Bayern for weeks. The Munich club are looking for a player who can put pressure on Luis Díaz and at the same time provide more variety in their attacking play
Those responsible around Max Eberl are pursuing a clear strategy. The first step is to reach an agreement with the player in order to enter into negotiations with Newcastle with better cards. This approach has already proven itself several times in the past
However, the biggest obstacle remains the price, with Newcastle reportedly asking around 85 million euros for Gordon – a sum that is currently considered too high for both Bayern and Barcelona
Munich in particular have defined a clear financial pain threshold internally and do not want to exceed it, while Barça are also hardly in a position to pay such sums without further ado due to their well-known financial situation
Newcastle under pressure to sell
The situation on the English side is interesting: Newcastle could be forced to sell a top player in the summer in order to meet the financial fair play requirements
Added to this is the sporting situation: as 13th in the table, the Magpies are in danger of missing out on international business, which would further reduce their income. A sale of Gordon would create the greatest financial leeway
At the moment, there are many indications of an open transfer poker: in addition to Bayern and Barcelona, there are other clubs from England vying for the attacking all-rounder
While Munich want to score points with their structured transfer strategy, Barcelona could convince with sporting prospects and international prestige. In the end, however, the transfer fee issue is likely to be the main deciding factor as to where Anthony Gordon’s journey will take him in the summer.