Barcelona target Anthony Gordon as Marcus Rashford move stalls, report says

Barcelona's pursuit of Marcus Rashford appears to be faltering, with reports saying Manchester United's insistence on a €30 million purchase option is stalling talks and prompting the La Liga club to prioritise Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon instead. The shift in focus comes ahead of planned negotiations between Barcelona and Manchester United reportedly scheduled before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Why it matters

If Barcelona pivot from Rashford to Gordon, it changes the club's recruitment profile: Rashford's move would have been a lower-cost loan-to-buy option (reportedly with a €30m clause), while Gordon — under contract at Newcastle until 2030 — is reported to require a substantially larger transfer outlay. The choice affects how Hansi Flick builds his attacking options, how Barcelona manage Raphinha's injury risk and how several top clubs could be positioned in the summer transfer market.

What the reports say

According to the report cited by World Soccer Talk — which references teamTALK and Mundo Deportivo — Manchester United have not been willing to lower the €30m purchase option tied to a potential Marcus Rashford loan to Barcelona. That inflexibility is said to have led Barcelona to explore alternatives, with Anthony Gordon emerging as a leading target.

Mundo Deportivo writers Fernando Polo and Ferran Martínez are named in the coverage as saying Barcelona have taken the lead in the race for Gordon. The report claims Bayern Munich and Liverpool also have interest, but that Bayern are currently favourites after making 'significant progress' in negotiations before the 2026 World Cup — a timeline reported in the article.

How Gordon would fit at Barcelona

The story suggests Barcelona see Gordon as a long-term option to cover or eventually replace Raphinha, who reportedly had multiple injuries in 2025–26. Gordon is described as versatile — able to play on the left, right or through the middle — and his 2025–26 output (reported as 17 goals and five assists in 46 appearances) is cited as evidence he could bolster Barcelona's attacking rotation under Hansi Flick.

The report also claims Gordon's physical profile — aggression, pace and tactical intelligence — would suit a Barcelona side looking to get more off-the-ball returns in counterattacking moments and give Flick options to tweak systems.

The financial picture reported

World Soccer Talk cites a potential Gordon transfer value of around €80 million, noting his Newcastle contract runs until 2030 and his reported desire to join Barcelona could be decisive. The same coverage repeats that Barcelona want a loan or a fee below the €30m clause for Rashford, while Manchester United are reportedly holding firm on that figure.

Key points

Limitations and outstanding questions

All details in this piece come from a secondary report summarised by World Soccer Talk, which itself references teamTALK and Mundo Deportivo. There are no official club confirmations, quoted sources from the clubs, or verified bid documentation in the supplied metadata. The timing, valuation and level of interest from Bayern and Liverpool are reported by the outlet and should be independently confirmed before treating them as settled facts.

What happens next

According to the report, Barcelona and Manchester United are expected to meet before the 2026 World Cup to negotiate Rashford's future. Meanwhile, any concrete progress on an approach for Anthony Gordon — or competing moves from Bayern or Liverpool — would likely be announced by the clubs involved or appear in follow-up reports. Until then, the situation remains a reported reshuffle of priorities rather than confirmed transfers.