Newcastle United star Anthony Gordon has responded to advances from Chelsea, after the Blues held weekend talks with the Magpies forward's camp.
Anthony Gordon sought-after with Newcastle exit on the cards
The queue for Gordon's signature grows longer by the week.
Over the past month, the Newcastle winger has emerged as one of the most coveted players in European football, attracting serious interest from clubs across England and the continent.
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As the summer window draws closer, the scramble to land him is intensifying rapidly.
Gordon has contributed 17 goals and five assists for Newcastle this season, a return that has caught the eye of some of the biggest clubs on the planet despite the Magpies' deeply disappointing campaign.
Arsenal have earmarked the 25-year-old as one of their top targets for the left wing position, while Liverpool — facing the task of replacing Mohamed Salah — are also monitoring the situation closely.
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He's very keen on the idea of a St. James' move.
Barcelona's sporting director Deco has also held talks with Gordon's representatives, and then there is Bayern Munich, who are quite publicly very keen on signing the ex-Everton sensation.
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg confirmed that Bayern have presented Gordon and his camp with concrete figures, with a five-year contract tabled as the Bavarian club signal serious intent.
Vincent Kompany has apparently approved the deal, and Gordon is understood to have been inspired by Michael Olise's success since making a similar move to Munich.
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The stumbling block, as ever, is the fee.
Reports suggest Gordon will cost around £80 million, so Bayern will be identifying alternatives in case they cannot strike a deal.
This leaves an opening for Chelsea, who have displayed in recent years that they're not shy to splash mammoth figures on players they really want.
Anthony Gordon responds to Chelsea after weekend talks with Newcastle star
According to SPTC insider Simon Phillips, a top source for Chelsea news, the west Londoners arranged a meeting with Gordon's representatives last Saturday to discuss a potential transfer to Stamford Bridge.
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The approach did not go as they had hoped.
After initial conversations, Gordon's camp made clear that the player had no interest in joining a club currently without a permanent manager, mid-table in the Premier League, and in the midst of significant off-field uncertainty.
The answer, at least for now, was no.
Phillips notes that Chelsea are unlikely to give up entirely.
The arrival of a new permanent manager — with Andoni Iraola believed to be a frontrunner for the role — could provide a fresh selling point, and an improved wage offer may yet be presented.
Newcastle's Anthony Gordon-1
But the situation is evolving.
Gordon knows his options extend to Champions League winners and Bundesliga champions, and a club in Chelsea's current state of flux does not represent the trajectory he is looking for.
For Newcastle, the clarity of Gordon's thinking is a double-edged sword.
The fact that he has already dismissed one of England's biggest clubs suggests his mind is made up on leaving — it is simply a matter of choosing where.
A bidding war between Arsenal, Bayern and Barcelona, with Chelsea circling on the periphery, could yet drive his fee beyond any figure Newcastle publicly state they are willing to accept.
One thing is already certain: Gordon will not be short of offers this summer.
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