There's no doubt about it, Anthony Gordon's transfer to Barcelona is the hottest story in Europe today
Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United has been linked with moves to Bayern Munich and Barcelona
Barcelone beat Bayern Munich to Anthony Gordon's signature
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Anthony Gordon is dominating European back and front pages today after Newcastle United agreed to sell their 17-goal top scorer to Barcelona for £69.3 million.
While the transfer has been brewing for months, Barcelona ultimately hijacked the deal from under the noses of Bayern Munich.
With Gordon set to become the biggest story on the continent, here is how the European press is reacting to the blockbuster move.
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Marca (Spain)
The Spanish sports daily say Barcelona are moving at pace and the player should be presented by the weekend. Gordon is on his way to Spain to get the deal tied up, and Marca reports: "The winger will arrive in Barcelona in the coming hours, between Thursday and Friday, to undergo the usual medical examination. The official announcement of his signing is expected this weekend."
They also claim a meeting in London was arranged with Deco and Newcastle to discuss the purchase of Gordon, suggesting that they were happy to let talk of Bayern Munich run while they got down to the nitty-gritty of the deal.
Marca confirm that Gordon will be a Barca player by the time he hooks up for the World Cup with England this summer in the United States.
La Vanguardia (Catalonia)
The leading Barcelona daily says that the talks with Newcastle and Barca were a "lightning quick operation" as they thrashed out terms with the Magpies.
Deemed as having little or no funds to spend, Barcelona have made the deal work, but sales at the Nou Camp are also expected in what could be an interesting summer.
They also suggest that Liverpool were at one stage interested in resurrecting a deal for Gordon, but opted out of the bidding war. It has been thought that the Reds would not be involved in talks this summer, but the Spanish daily says Barca beat the Kop side to Gordon's signature.
They report: "The Catalan club has finalised the signing of English winger Anthony Gordon in a lightning-fast operation spearheaded by Deco. Gordon is on a contract until 2031 after agreeing to a €70 million plus €10 million in add-ons deal with Newcastle.
"The deal was finalised during Deco's last trip to London. The sporting director, who acted discreetly throughout, was the driving force behind the signing's swift completion, just days after Barça finished their season with the final league match. In doing so, the Catalan club beat out other suitors for Gordon, such as Bayern Munich and Liverpool, to secure one of the biggest names on the market until 2031."
Bild (Germany)
Having claimed victory for Bayern Munich in the Anthony Gordon chase, the German tabloid are now reporting that Bayern Munich "fell behind" in the race to sign the ex-Everton man.
It claims that Gordon had a "basic agreement in principle" with Bayern, but as Chronicle Live reported earlier this month, it was never past the post. They lean into a suggestion that Gordon preferred a life in Spain compared to Germany, and Newcastle were more open to Barca's terms than Bayern.
Kicker (Germany)
The German soccer magazine say that the Gordon transfer has been like a "game of poker" with Barca eventually winning the contest.
They report today: "FC Barcelona had recently emerged as Bayern Munich's toughest competitor in the race to sign Newcastle striker Anthony Gordon – and now appear poised to secure his signature."
They also confirm Gordon's sell-on clause, which may benefit Newcastle in the future, but there is no escaping the fact that this is currently the hottest transfer story in Europe.
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