Barcelona Delays Unveiling of Signed Anthony Gordon

Barcelona has delayed the unveiling of England star Anthony Gordon, with his £70 million move from Newcastle set to be confirmed imminently. The 25-year-old passed his medical and was expected to be revealed as a Barça player at 12:30 GMT on Friday afternoon, but the LaLiga champions have repeatedly pushed back his presentation due to minor paperwork issues. Gordon is now anticipated to be revealed in the famous red and blue on Barcelona's YouTube channel at 2:15 BST.

Sporting Director Deco met with Gordon's representatives on Monday, and by Wednesday it emerged that Barcelona had agreed a £70 million deal, which includes bonuses and a future percentage of any sale for the Magpies. The winger arrived in Spain on Thursday afternoon and signed a five-year contract at the club.

Barcelona has faced tough competition to secure the highly sought-after forward, as Bayern Munich and Liverpool both showed strong interest in the player. Gordon's camp had negotiations with both Barça and Bayern, with the framework of personal terms with the latter established for several weeks. However, the Bundesliga club did not advance beyond their £60 million valuation. Liverpool, on the other hand, needed to seek alternative targets, as they learned of Gordon’s preference for a move to Barça over a switch to Anfield.

Gordon nearly joined Liverpool two years ago, having a medical set up in Germany while on international duty at Euro 2024, but Newcastle ended that deal as they instead sold Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest. Everton retains a sell-on clause that enables them to receive 15 percent of the profit after selling Gordon to Newcastle for £45 million in 2023. He finished the season as Newcastle's top scorer with 18 goals, despite not featuring in the final six games of the campaign amid speculation about his future. Magpies manager Eddie Howe noted previously that the uncertainty surrounding Gordon affected his playing time towards the end of the season.

Gordon’s arrival in Catalonia raises further questions about the future of Marcus Rashford, who has impressed on loan from Manchester United. The only significant obstacle to Barcelona signing Rashford permanently seemed to be financial, making the move for Gordon—a much larger outlay—a surprise. It is understood that despite acquiring Gordon, Barcelona still intends to negotiate a deal for Rashford with United this week, pursuing another loan rather than the permanent arrangement the Red Devils seek. Bayern Munich has until June 15 to activate a clause to buy the England forward for £26 million.