Gordon has been linked with a move to the Bundesliga champions in the summer transfer window
Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon and Bayer Leverkusen star Ibrahim Maza
Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon and Bayer Leverkusen star Ibrahim Maza(Image: Getty Images)
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Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has been linked with a move to German giants Bayern Munich.
The 25-year-old winger has established himself as one of the Magpies' leading players since his move from Everton in January 2023, and is in the driving seat to start for England in this summer's World Cup.
Gordon has scored 17 goals this season, with his 10-goal haul in this season's Champions League still only bettered by Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane and Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe.
That has caught the eye of Vincent Kompany, with reports in Germany claiming the Bayern boss is keen to sign Gordon as competition for former Liverpool star Luis Diaz on the left-wing.
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Newcastle do not want to lose Gordon, and are in a strong bargaining position given he still has four years remaining on his contract at St James' Park.
But it is perhaps the strongest interest in him to date, amid tentative links with both Liverpool and Arsenal heading into the summer transfer window.
Whether Bayern will be willing to pay what Newcastle demand remains to be seen but the Magpies will no doubt be drawing up potential alternatives should he end up leaving the club.
And using DataMB's player similarity generator, which finds the top five players in Europe's top five leagues with the most similar characteristics to Gordon, one exciting option to emerge is Bayer Leverkusen's Ibrahim Maza.
Maza, who can play across the attacking midfield, is a more central option than a wide option, but he comes up in the top five results for each of the last two seasons.
The 20-year-old can play out wide, too, and has caught the eye at Leverkusen this season after signing from 2 Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin in the summer.
The Algeria international has five goals and six assists to his name in all competitions this season and Newcastle saw his quality at first hand when he set up Alejandro Grimaldo's equaliser in December's 2-2 draw between the sides in the Champions League with a clever through ball.
Manchester City have also been linked with the young midfielder, with Pep Guardiola said to be a big fan and although Leverkusen wouldn't sell him cheaply, it would be a fraction of the price a potential Gordon sale would bring in for Newcastle.