Barcelona have today ramped up their pursuit of Newcastle United wantaway Anthony Gordon, which could lead to them sending Marcus Rashford back to Manchester United.
Gordon would pose as a like-for-like – but younger – replacement for 28-year-old Rashford, whom Barcelona hold a £26 million buy option for.
Barcelona have made a strong approach for Anthony Gordon, with Liverpool also joining the race
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— Times Sport (@TimesSport) May 27, 2026
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Marcus Rashford to Barcelona: What’s the latest?
The Blaugrana have been dragging their heels over the straightforward deal for several weeks now.
It’s thought they would prefer to either sign Rashford permanently for a reduced fee, or take him on loan for another season. To nobody’s surprise, United are closed off to both options.
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They are adamant about receiving the full sum for their academy graduate in the coming weeks, so the funds can be swiftly reinvested throughout the window.
Could Gordon replace Rashford in Catalonia?
Yet, Barcelona have seemingly forged an entirely new plan of bringing in Gordon, 25, instead.
The Magpies forward bid farewell to St. James’ Park following the side’s final home game on May 17, as he prepares to pull the curtains on a three-and-a-half-year tenure on Tyneside.
Although he returned only six Premier League goals in 26 appearances in 2025/2026, Gordon has found himself on the shortlist of some European giants.
Player Appearances Goals Assists
Gordon 46 17 5
Rashford 49 14 14
How the two players have fared this campaign
Bayern Munich first established their interest several months ago, while Barcelona are ‘now seriously in the race’, according to Alex Crook (talkSPORT).
Sporting Director Deco has opened talks with Newcastle to gauge how an agreement may look, though there are differences in the clubs’ valuations of the player.
🚨 Anthony Gordon scored just 6 Premier League goals this season.
Marcus Rashford scored more than 6 goals in 7 separate seasons during his time at Man United.
As per the last reports, Barça are willing to pay €70m for Gordon, but not €30m for Rashford. pic.twitter.com/7DDrZwh2jF
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) May 27, 2026
The newly-crowned La Liga champions believe Gordon is worth £60 million, while Newcastle are holding out for a package in the region of £80 million.
Rashford linked with Premier League return
Should talks advance, it would raise major questions over Rashford’s future and where he’ll be playing his football beyond the summer.
He has outlined his desire to stay at Camp Nou numerous times already, but the decision is ultimately out of his hands.
Marcus Rashford: "If I was a magician, I would stay at Barcelona" 🪄 pic.twitter.com/H1rtRT75HA
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 10, 2026
Recently, it has been claimed that both Arsenal and Bayern were monitoring whether Rashford would be signed by Barcelona or if he’d be made available by United next month.
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