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Anthony Gordon’s impending move from Newcastle to Barcelona has raised more questions than answers.
Gordon will undergo a medical at the club on Thursday after the club agreed a fee with Newcastle to sign the winger. Sky Sports News The fee, including add-ons, is understood to be £69.3m (€80m) and to agree a deal, the La Liga giants have fended off competition from Bayern Munich.
But after Gordon scored just six league goals last season, it begs the question what makes him so attractive to Barca when Marcus Rashford is there for less than a third of the price.
Anthony Gordon’s move to Barcelona would be Newcastle’s second most expensive sale
The club’s hierarchy remain hesitant to make the deal permanent for the Manchester United forward, yet they have not shown that caution with his international team-mate despite their financial constraints.
The question is, why does Gordon appeal to them so much and what does he offer that Rashford doesn’t?
What is Barcelona looking for?
Whether it was Gordon, Rashford or anyone else, Hansi Flick was clearly in the market for a wide attacker who had the versatility to play across the front line.
With interest still high in Julian Alvarez, one can imagine Argentina’s first choice number nine. A back-up that can cover all the areas needed appears in the profile they are looking for
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Barcelona and Bayern Munich are reportedly interested in signing the Newcastle winger, take a look at Anthony Gordon’s top five Premier League goals.
That description matches Rashford’s profile. Usually operating from the left, the 28-year-old Spotify has made seven appearances in the middle in addition to playing time at Old Trafford for the Camp Nou outfit.
Gordon is much less experienced centrally, but Eddie Howe turned to him as he looked for more pace from his frontline last term.
To his credit, he was effective while playing there. Nine of his 17 goals last season came when he led the line, including five in Champions League games. But so was Rashford. His return of four out of seven is nothing to turn your nose up at.
90 per Anthony Gordon’s 2025/26 league stats compared to Marcus Rashford
Across all positions internally, Rashford had a much better output, despite starting just 50 per cent of the time. His contribution of 19 goals in 36 games compared to Gordon’s 10 in 34. Combine the European figures though and things are more even.
For Rashford, it’s 28 out of 49. Meanwhile, it’s 22 of 46 for Gordon. On a per-game basis, Rashford still leads the way, but it’s the strength of Gordon’s European performances that could be a deciding factor.
Gordon’s European form is influencing Barca’s move
Only Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane have scored more Champions League goals than Gordon in 2025/26. Add in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Junior, and you have just five players with more goal contributions overall.
Where Gordon and Newcastle have struggled most this season is when they are not given space to attack. They have beaten Man City, Man U, Chelsea and Brighton this season. All teams that could hit Newcastle on the break.
However, they also dropped points against four of the bottom six. These games were expected to win Newcastle.
Anthony Gordon’s league stats compared to Barcelona’s wingers last season
In European competitions, games tend to be more open. Look at the first leg of the Champions League semi-final between PSG and Bayern Munich – another team for Gordon – as a prime example.
Barcelona have won back-to-back La Liga titles under Flick, but are yet to do any damage in the Champions League. Gordon’s record average of goal contributions per game this season will appeal to decision makers who will be looking at how they can approach a sixth European Cup.
Work rate influences Flick’s thinking
Away from the end product, there is another factor that could lead Barcelona to go Gordon’s way. That is his work rate.
Off the ball, Gordon covers a lot more distance than Rashford. The same applies to Robert Lewandowski.
While Lamine Yamal and Rafinha are superior, Gordon is an improvement on Flick’s current central options in this regard which makes him so attractive over Rashford’s in-house option.
The 25-year-old’s added defensive responsibility for the Magpies means he wins possession far more frequently than both Rashford and Lewandowski.
Adding to Gordon’s work rate, Barcelona can press with even more intensity if he is used in the middle of the front three.
Does Gordon’s fee really benefit Barcelona?
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A look at the statistics behind why Barcelona turned down the €80m offer for Anthony Gordon.
It sounds strange on paper, but they would argue that it does.
As Gordon is three years younger than Rashford, the club believe they can spread the cost of the deal over a few more years which will help their finances with the fair play restrictions. Sky Sports News He will sign a five-year contract on understanding.
Spanish journalist Roger Torello said this Sky Sports: “The club explained that it is easier for financial fair play to sign a player like Gordon than Rashford. You have more years to mortgage the fee.
“Of course, Gordon’s salary is lower than Rashford’s. The deal for Rashford is still an option, but the terms have changed. The club is hoping to get another loan, but Manchester United don’t want to think about that.”
