Barcelona wasted little time in setting up for next season, moving within days of La Liga wrapping for 2025–26 to strike an agreement with Newcastle United for Anthony Gordon.
The England winger is expected to become a Barcelona player pretty imminently after the clubs shook hands on a $81.6 million (€70 million, £60.7 million) transfer fee. Personal terms are reported to have been no issue, with only the procedural formalities left to go.One obvious consequence of the transfer is what happens to Marcus Rashford. The Manchester United forward spent 2025–26 on loan with Barcelona and was hoping to see the club utilize a buy option set out in the original agreement that priced him below market value.
There has long been hesitance from the Blaugrana to do that. The decision to then spend more than double the money on Gordon, who arrives in the same position, took plenty of fans by surprise.
Gordon appears well suited to more technical European-style soccer. He racked up 12 goal involvements in 12 Champions League appearances this season, compared to only eight in 26 Premier League matches. The Liverpool-born star also scored against Barcelona in the league phase, one of three appearances against the club he will now join.