Spanish champions Barcelona have made a first offer for England and Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
Gordon, 25, has also drawn interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool, but Barça are now leading the race for the winger, with sources adding he is keen on the move.
Sources did not confirm how much Barça have offered, but other reports suggest talks are ongoing over a deal which could be worth up to €80 million ($93m). Bayern have also approached Newcastle.
Barça are open to negotiate the total cost of the package with Newcastle, but would like a speedy resolution, preferably before the World Cup, after losing time in their pursuit of Nico Williams over the last two summers.
Spain international Williams eventually stayed with Athletic Club, leaving Barça to sign Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United later in the window.
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Barça’s interest in Gordon was first revealed earlier in May when the player’s agent, Adam Dugdale, met with sporting director Deco at the Catalan club’s training ground.
Deco has been in London this week, with sources telling ESPN he had meetings with the camps of several potential signings, without confirming who.
Gordon has caught the eye, above all, in the Champions League this season, where he scored 10 goals in 12 appearances as Newcastle reached the round of 16, where they were eliminated by Barça.
In the meantime, Barça have also been exploring possible deals for a new No.9 after Robert Lewandowski announced he will leave the club next month when his contract expires.
Club sources insist the signing of Gordon is unrelated to the pursuit of a striker, with Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez and Chelsea‘s João Pedro among the targets to replace the outgoing Robert Lewandowski.
The same sources said Gordon’s possible arrival would not necessarily rule out the return of Rashford, although it would appear unlikely given the two both prefer to occupy the same position, on the left of the attack, where Raphinha also plays.
Rashford, who scored 14 goals and provided 14 assists for Barça this season, is due to return to United this summer as his loan expires, although the Blaugranamaintain an option to make the deal permanent for €30m ($35m).
Barça would like to negotiate that fee with United, or secure another loan, while Rashford would also have to accept a pay cut.
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Sources at United say the English side have no intention of negotiating the pre-agreed fee.
ESPN have also previously revealed that Barça are keen to add another centre-back to their squad this summer.
It remains to be seen how the club would fit all the deals into their LaLiga-imposed spending cap, which was increased to €433m ($501) annually earlier this year.
Following the return to Spotify Camp Nou and the gradual lowering of the wage bill in recent years, club sources say Barça will be able to make significant signings this summer.
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However, ESPN reported this month that while the club’s spending capacity is improving, they will likely have to raise money through the departures of important players to be able to pull off all the business they hope to do this summer.
That does not mean the club cannot sign players first. In previous years, they have faced an anxious wait to register players with LaLiga after bringing in players before moving others on.
On the pitch, Barça have made huge strides forward under Hansi Flick in the last two seasons, winning back-to-back LaLiga titles and appearing regularly in the latter stages of the Champions League.
