Anthony Gordon transfer news: Why are Barcelona signing Newcastle forward?

Anthony Gordon was deep in thought.

As club anthem 'Cant del Barca' rang out, the Newcastle United forward was sat on the steps in the Nou Camp tunnel, taking it all in.

It was just a few minutes before Newcastle faced Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League knockout tie back in March.

Stages do not come much bigger than this one.

Few could have imagined Gordon would be returning to this very stadium to be unveiled as a Barcelona player just a couple of months later, even if he always looked likely to depart.

Gordon is understood to have viewed his spell at Newcastle as the best three and-a-half years of his life.

He is immensely grateful for what the club's coaching staff and his team-mates have done for him.

However, the England forward has never disguised his ambition to get to the "very top" as he arrives in Barcelona to undergo a medical and complete his £69.3m move.

Former Newcastle team-mate Matt Ritchie knows that better than most.

"It's his work ethic and application," he said. "He's laser-focused on being the best he can be.

"Working with Eddie [Howe] and all the coaches in Newcastle, he couldn't have fallen into better hands in that regard.

"Knowing Ant how I know him, he dreams big, he thinks big and you can see with his personality on the pitch.

"He became a team player but will always have that edge and controlled arrogance, which all these top players have, so I'm not surprised he's moving on to a club with the stature of Barcelona."

So why have Barca moved for Gordon?

After all, the La Liga champions also had the option - and still do - of making Marcus Rashford's loan move from Manchester United a permanent one for £26m.

However, Barca have so far prioritised a move for his international team-mate, who also offers versatility on the left and through the middle, but is three years younger and on a lower wage.

There is also a belief within the club that there is more to come from Gordon both with and without the ball.

When Barcelona manager Hansi Flick spoke about Newcastle being a "very intense" side, earlier this season, the 25-year-old will have been among those at the forefront of his thoughts with his speed and aggression.

Flick places as much importance on players' work rate as their flair and Gordon ranks in the top 40 Premier League forwards for possession won in the final third, high pressures applied and high pressures in the opponent's half this season.

Yet it is Gordon's goal return in Europe which clearly caught the eye of Barca and, indeed, fellow suitors Bayern Munich.

Although there were a few penalties along the way, and he came up against some leaky defences, only Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe (15) and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane (14) have scored more goals in the Champions League this season than Gordon (10).

It is a stage Gordon has relished, having sounded like someone who had grown a little jaded with how the Premier League had become "a lot slower and a lot more set-piece based".

"Sometimes it's about duels - who wins the duels wins the game - or moments," he said of the top flight back in January.

"The Champions League is a bit more of an older style game. It's a bit more football based. Teams come and try and play proper football."

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