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Anthony Gordon transfer 'presentation' & 'talks' as Barcelona & Bayern step up chase

Speculation over Gordon's future has ramped up over the course of the last 24 hours after pictures emerged from Spain purporting to show one of the forward's representatives meeting Deco, Barcelona's director of football.

Barcelona are said to be in the market for a left sided attacker this summer, with Marcus Rashford looking increasingly likely to return to Manchester United after his loan spell with the Catalan club.

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But Bayern Munich have also been strongly linked with Gordon, and fresh reports from Sky Germany now claim the Bundesliga giants have "presented concrete figures" to the forward and his representative. It's said a five-year contract would be on the table.

The same report claims, however, that Bayern and Newcastle have differing views on how much the 25-year-old is worth. Bayern are said to have alternative targets in place if an agreement with the Magpies couldn't be reached. Bayern, say Sky Germany, have "clear limits".

It's not clear at this stage how much Barcelona would be willing to fork out for Gordon, who Newcastle are believed to value at around £80m - double the fee they paid to sign the attacker from Everton three years ago.

Since then, Gordon has established himself as an England international and impressed on the biggest stage. He's scored 10 times in the Champions League this season, including one against Barcelona at St James' Park back in August.

Gordon looked set to return to Merseyside to join Liverpool in the summer of 2024 but the deal eventually collapsed and he ended up signing a new contract with Newcastle.

It's said Liverpool won't revisit their interest in Gordon this summer, but Chelsea and Arsenal have been strongly linked.

David Hopkinson admitted player trading is inevitable this summer for the Magpies, who won't be playing Champions League football next season, but the chief executive says exits will only be sanctioned on the club's terms.

Sandro Tonali is another star who has attracted interest from elsewhere, while Tino Livramento has long been admired by Manchester City.

Hopkinson said last month: "We haven't got an overall strategy with regard to players out, necessarily.

"We think through what players might or might not want to do this summer. But if an Isak-like scenario presents itself again, any player under contract is going to leave on our terms and we're going to maximise the opportunity that might represent for the club."

Gordon missed Newcastle's recent defeats to Bournemouth and Arsenal with a hip injury, with Eddie Howe emphatically dismissing any suggestions his absence was linked to the uncertainty surrounding his future.

He returned to the squad for the weekend victory over Brighton but was an unused substitute. After the Magpies ended their winless run, Gordon is likely to again have to settle for a place on the bench for Sunday's game at Nottingham Forest.

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