FC Barcelona seem determined to close the signing of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United as early as possible.
With the 25-year-old winger also attracting interest from other top clubs like Bayern Munich and Liverpool, the Blaugrana have made their opening offer for the England international.
€80 million plus bonuses
Indeed, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Barcelona have sent in their first proposal to Newcastle United for Gordon.
Opening offer made. (Photo by Aziz Karimov/Getty Images)
The Catalans have offered a fixed transfer fee of €80 million plus bonuses for the winger, as negotiations continue between the two clubs.
As already reported, personal terms have already been agreed between the player and the La Liga champions, meaning only the transfer fee and the structure of the deal need to be finalised.
The €80 million + bonuses being reported contradicts claims in Spain where it was suggested that the Catalans had offered €70 million to Newcastle for Gordon.
Rashford decision pending
What does this mean for Rashford? (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Barcelona have yet to decide whether to take up the permanent purchase option for Marcus Rashford, who appeared set to continue at the club beyond his loan spell.
The Catalans, as per the report, firmly believe that the Gordon operation, despite involving a bigger transfer fee, could end up having a similar financial impact to that of Rashford due to the the 25-year-old’s lower salary demands.
On top of that, the club’s willingness to offer him a longer contract, due to his age, also enables them to amortise the cost of his transfer over a longer period when compared to Rashford.
Things are moving swiftly behind the scenes and a deal could be closed soon.