Newcastle United have reportedly had a £35 million bid for Anthony Gordon being knocked back by Everton, who want to keep hold of the young winger.
According to a report from The Sun, Newcastle United had lodged a bid worth £35 million to sign Anthony Gordon as Eddie Howe looked to recruit a wide forward in this summer’s transfer window. However, the Magpies’ offer has been swiftly rejected by Everton, who are not interested in selling the England Under-21 international.
Gordon burst onto the spotlight last season after playing a leading role in their successful battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League. His youthful exuberance and drive sparked energy in an uninspiring Everton side that made him a big fan favourite among the Toffees’ supporters.
The 21-year-old made 40 appearances across all competitions in his breakthrough campaign last term, grabbing four goals and three assists. Needless to say, his relentless work rate, pace and technical quality on the ball have not gone unnoticed. And after a stellar first full season in the English top-flight, it was clear that Everton would have to fend off interest from potential suitors.
There were suggestions the Everton hierarchy might have been open to cashing in on their prized assets amid their dire financial state. The Toffees, of course, have recently lost a key attacking player with Richarlison’s departure to Tottenham in a deal worth £60 million just a few days ago, with no signs of replacement incoming for the Brazilian forward as of now.
Gordon was targeted by Tottenham earlier in the window as they were interested in a double swoop to bring him alongside Richarlison to north London. Newcastle United then became the latest club to test Everton’s resolve, submitting a reported £35 million bid to tempt the Merseyside club into selling their top prospect.
However, the Toffees are in no mood to part ways with the Englishman, who is viewed as an integral part of coach Frank Lampard’s long-term plans at Goodison Park. Everton instead want to tie the young prospect to a new contract despite handing him a five-year deal in 2020, showing how much they value him and their eagerness to fight tooth and nail to retain his services.
On the outset, £35 million actually represents an excellent value for a player who, despite all of his strengths, still has a lot of work to do on his end-product. It would certainly have helped Everton balance their books to some extent. But by selling Gordon to Newcastle, the unpopular Toffees hierarchy would have to face some major backlash from the Goodison Park faithful.
As for Newcastle, they realigned their radars to Gordon after turning their attention away from their No. 1 target Moussa Diaby of Bayer Leverkusen. While they always knew that they had a lot of ground to make up before they can even think of getting their hands on the Everton sensation, they will now have to look elsewhere in the market as Eddie Howe’s search for a new winger continues.
