Can you imagine it? With Crickex Sign Up plans already shaped around another busy football summer, Barcelona have reportedly decided against spending 30 million euros to buy Marcus Rashford outright and would rather pay a much higher fee for Anthony Gordon, even though both are English stars, both are expected members of England’s 26 man squad for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and both offer similar multi role qualities in attack. Each can play as a left winger and also fill in as a number nine, meaning either player could serve not only as rotation for Raphinha but also as a possible option to cover the position once Robert Lewandowski eventually leaves.
Barcelona have moved to sign 25 year old Newcastle forward Gordon in a deal that could reach 80 million euros in total, with the structure understood to be 70 million euros fixed plus add ons. Gordon is expected to travel to Barcelona this Thursday for his medical and contract signing. A product of Everton’s academy, he joined Newcastle from Everton in January 2023 for 45.6 million euros. Since then, he has recorded 39 goals and 22 assists in 152 appearances across all competitions, while also helping the club win the 2024 25 League Cup.
Gordon is now 25, stands 1.83 meters tall, and is a right footed left winger who has also played several times as a center forward this season. His market value is listed at 60 million euros, and this season he has produced 17 goals and 5 assists in 46 matches across all competitions. So the real question is obvious: why would Barcelona reject a 30 million euro Rashford option and instead spend up to 80 million euros on Gordon? The answer can almost be summed up in one word. Rashford’s loan spell at Barcelona produced an attractive 14 goals and 12 assists, but those numbers still could not fully hide the sense that his off ball effort often looked too passive.
For Barcelona, Gordon’s energy and willingness to run are exactly the type of qualities Hansi Flick’s system requires. Rashford is better suited to a mid table or lower table side where he can be the attacking core, with a group of hard working players covering for him, or where he can be used as a sharp counterattacking weapon. In a team that needs constant pressing, repeated runs and patient solutions against deep defensive blocks, he is not always the best fit.
Gordon, by contrast, brings a more aggressive rhythm without needing the entire system to revolve around him. He can stretch the left flank, attack space behind the defense, press from the front and make direct runs into the box. For a Barcelona side trying to rebuild its front line with speed, intensity and tactical discipline, that kind of profile can be worth more than a cheaper name with better surface level numbers. It may look like Barcelona are paying over the odds, but in modern football, the right fit can matter more than the lower price tag.
The decision also reflects how elite clubs now judge forwards beyond goals and assists. Movement, pressing commitment, tactical obedience and the ability to switch roles during a match are becoming essential. Rashford still has top level talent, but Gordon may offer a cleaner match for Flick’s football. When Crickex Sign Up readers compare the two English attackers, the choice is not simply about who is more famous or who costs less. It is about which player can keep Barcelona’s attack alive in tough matches, and on that point, Gordon may give them more of what they need when push comes to shove.