Anthony Gordon signs for Barcelona and could be joined by Julian Alvarez – but where does this leave Marcus Rashford?

Barcelona have announced the signing of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle in a £70million deal.

The England winger has signed a five-year contract with the Spanish giants, which contains a 20 per cent sell-on clause, after they beat Bayern Munich to his signature.

Gordon had previously looked set for the Bundesliga champions, having previously agreed terms to join them.

However, Barca’s sporting director Deco then held direct talks with Newcastle, despite indicating earlier this month the deal was too expensive to proceed with.

Better late than never

Speaking at his unveiling, Gordon confirmed he first heard of Barcelona’s interest ‘very late’, but declared it was more than worth the wait.

“I found out very late from Barca,” Gordon said.

“But as soon as I knew Barca was a serious option, there was never any question.

“I always wanted Barca. Barca is the biggest club on the planet.

“This is the stuff I dreamed of as a child. It really is a dream come true to be here.”

How Gordon’s Barca switch impacts Rashford

Gordon has now become the latest Englishman to head to Catalonia, after Marcus Rashford joined the club on loan last summer with an option to make the deal permanent for £26m. 

talkSPORT understands the signing of Gordon does not necessarily rule out a future at Barcelona for Rashford, with manager Hansi Flick keen to keep to forward.

The LaLiga club have agreed personal terms with Rashford but are thought to favour another loan deal or a reduced fee, with United pushing for a permanent move.

Barca’s top priority after Gordon is thought to be Julian Alvarez, having seen a £86.8m bid rejected by Atletico Madrid.

In exchange for the ex-Manchester City star, Atleti want more than the £104m they spent on Antoine Griezmann in 2019.

If Barcelona’s move for Alvarez falls through, this could also boost Rashford’s chances of staying.

The United loanee has scored 14 goals and got 14 assists in 49 appearances this season and wishes to stay in Spain.

New chapter

For now though, Gordon is Barcelona’s latest signing, who bids farewell to Newcastle after three year-and-a-half years on Tyneside.

He joined the Magpies from Everton in January 2023 in a deal worth up to £45m, in a huge signal of intent from the club.

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Since then, the 25-year-old made 152 appearances in all competitions, scoring 39 goals and delivering 28 assists.

Gordon twice helped the Magpies to secure Champions League qualification, in the 2022/23 campaign and again last term.

The crowning moment of his Newcastle career came in 2025, when he helped the club end a 70-year wait for a major trophy with Carabao Cup glory.

But the forward leaves St James’ Park after a disappointing season, as the Toon Army finished a disappointing 12th in the Premier League.

Newcastle were also dumped out of the Champions League by Gordon’s new club, Barcelona, suffering a humiliating 8-3 aggregate defeat in the round of 16.

Despite this, Gordon still managed an impressive 16 goals in all competitions, 10 of which came in Europe.

Having committed his future to Barcelona, he will now switch his focus to international duty, as he heads to the World Cup with England after being named in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad.