Everton attacker Anthony Gordon is reportedly keen on moving to Newcastle United, thus giving the Magpies a boost in the race to sign the 21-year-old Chelsea target.
According to Football Insider, Newcastle United are confident of beating Chelsea to the signature of Anthony Gordon, and talks are progressing with Everton over a £30 million-plus deal. The England Under-21 international has handed his parent club a transfer request as he looks to secure a move away from the club this winter.
Newcastle United and Chelsea have both expressed an interest in signing the 21-year-old versatile attacker. But the Englishman has reportedly told his friends that he wants to join Eddie Howe’s Newcastle over Graham Potter’s Chelsea.
Newcastle United were anticipated to be one of the busier clubs in the build-up to the January transfer window. But their only piece of business so far has been departures, with Chris Wood joining Nottingham Forest.
Australian prodigy Garang Kuol did arrive this month. But the 18-year-old had already been loaned out to Scottish outfit Hearts for the remainder of the season. Eddie Howe wants to bolster his squad to maintain the team’s top-four push in the second half of the season. A new young forward is at the top of his list of priorities, with Gordon a top target after the Magpies failed to sign him in the summer.
The 21-year-old was wanted by Newcastle, Tottenham, and Chelsea but stayed put at Goodison Park. He now finds himself in the relegation zone in a team without a manager after Frank Lampard was fired from his managerial position following the West Ham defeat that left them reeling at the foot of the Premier League table.
As such, Newcastle have stepped up their efforts to sign the 21-year-old in the last couple of days. The player himself is said to be desperate to make the move to Tyneside. And agreeing on personal terms is not expected to be a stumbling block.
The youngster has skipped Everton training for the third day in a row to force through a move to St. James’ Park, as the Tynesiders continue to try and reach a common ground with the Toffees over transfer fee and payment structure.
While the player is favouring a Tyneside switch, the Magpies are still wary of Chelsea potentially hijacking their deal, with the Blues reigniting their interest after seeing several big-money bids, including a few inventive multiple players plus cash proposals, turned down by the Merseyside club in the summer.
Given that Chelsea already have plenty of options in wide areas, they could consider loaning Gordon back to Everton for the remainder of the season with the club deep in relegation trouble, which may suit the Toffees. But the player looks to be disgruntled with his parent club.
As things stand, talks remain ongoing between Everton and Newcastle for the versatile forward. And a £30 million-plus deal might be on the cards in the coming days. But it will be interesting to see if Chelsea play spoilsport for Newcastle United.
