FC Barcelona has secured its first top-tier signing for the upcoming season. Attacking maestro Anthony Gordon is joining from Newcastle United.
His ten goals and four assists in twelve Champions League matches during the 2025/26 season had also caught the attention of FC Bayern. In the end, however, Anthony Gordon opted to join former Munich coach Hansi Flick and thus FC Barcelona.
The Spanish champions announced the deal after he passed his medical, and thus before the attacking player traveled on to join the English national team. There, Gordon—who was named to the squad by Thomas Tuchel—is preparing for the upcoming World Cup in North America (June 11 to July 19).
Liverpool, Everton, and the leap
The 25-year-old, who can play both centrally and on the offensive wings, signed a contract with the Catalans running through 2031. The cost of this summer’s first major transfer: around 80 million euros. The announcement of the transfer was delayed once again at the last minute. Gordon himself spoke at his introductory press conference of “legal issues” that still needed to be resolved. “Those were things I didn’t understand.”
Following Marcus Rashford, who was recently loaned from Manchester United and is set to join the Blaugrana on a permanent basis, Gordon will be the second English international in the FCB squad. And, following Robert Lewandowski’s departure, he generally expands Flick’s options alongside captain Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Ferran Torres.
Gordon arrives at Barça not only with his impressive Champions League stats but also with a track record of over 150 competitive matches, 39 goals, and numerous assists for Newcastle. 17 international appearances for the Three Lions (two goals) round out the stats for the Liverpool native, who was developed at Everton, turned pro there, and joined Newcastle in 2023.
Bayern comes up empty-handed – Gordon explains why
As mentioned earlier, FC Bayern ultimately came up empty-handed in this deal. The Bundesliga record champions’ interest had leaked out in mid-April, before English media reports even suggested an agreement had been reached between the parties.
“As soon as I knew that Barca wanted me, there was no question in my mind that I wanted to come here,” Gordon said at his introductory press conference. Barca had entered the fray “very late,” he noted, but playing for the Catalans was a “childhood dream come true.” He had wanted to play for the club since he was three years old. “Barca is the biggest club on the planet.”