Anthony Gordon will join FC Barcelona for the upcoming season, as Fabrizio Romano has revealed. Before the next season begins, the English forward will depart Newcastle United and become one of the team’s main attacking reinforcements.

According to reports, the deal is valued at about €70 million, with add-ons that might bring it up to almost €80 million. Before joining the club for preseason practices, Gordon is anticipated to travel to Barcelona in the next few days to finish his medical exams.

A Versatile Addition to Barça’s Attack

The English attacker’s versatility on the front line makes him stand out. Although captain Raphinha currently plays on the left wing, which is his natural position, he can also play on the right flank to compete with Lamine Yamal or even as a center forward, offering attacking options alongside Ferran Torres and easing the transition after Robert Lewandowski’s era.

Gordon already understands what it means to take on Barcelona and leave a lasting impression. He scored against the Catalan team in the Magpies’ victory over the Spanish powerhouses on the first matchday of the previous season’s UEFA Champions League. That performance further solidified the ascent of a guy who is still establishing himself as one of the most promising young players in English football.

In addition to offering pace, aggressive pressing, and a persistent one-on-one threat, he made 46 appearances and scored 17 goals.

The Ideal Profile for Hansi Flick

Anthony Gordon is a wonderful fit for Hansi Flick’s energetic, vertical style of play at Barcelona. He is an energetic player who is aggressive when attacking open areas and extremely intense off the ball. His capacity to dismantle defensive lines during transition could give the team’s strategy an alternative to its conventional possession-based strategy.

Flick’s adaptability will also enable him to switch up his attacking alternatives without compromising on intensity or depth. He still has a lot of room to grow, even though he still needs to work on making better decisions and finishing under pressure.

Gordon seems to be the ideal example of the youth, pace, and enthusiasm that Barcelona is investing in.

Jean-Philippe Mateta scored as Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the UEFA Conference League final in Leipzig on Wednesday to secure the club’s first European trophy in their history.

After a cagey opening half with few clear chances, Mateta turned in a rebound for the game’s only goal on 51 minutes, sending departing coach Oliver Glasner off in style.

Glasner departs with a third trophy in two years as Palace manager, the most successful period in the club’s history, after dashing Rayo’s hopes of landing their first major silverware.

The win also completed Glasner’s objective of returning Crystal Palace to the Europa League, the competition they qualified to play in this season before falling foul of multi-club ownership rules and being demoted to the Conference League.

The Austrian, already a Europa League champion with Eintracht Frankfurt, once again showed his excellence in knockout competitions.

Palace overcame the sales of Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi this season, and the fallout from the latter’s January exit, to cap their first full venture into European competition with a title.

France striker Mateta, the hero on the night, was a failed medical away from leaving Palace for AC Milan this winter. 

Palace became third London side in as many years to win the competition, after West Ham in 2024 and Chelsea in 2025, demonstrating the Premier League’s unmatched financial muscle. 

With Aston Villa already Europa League winners, Premier League champions Arsenal can complete a clean sweep in European competition by beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday. 

Palace received a boost just before kick-off when midfielder Wharton overcame an ankle injury to start. Underdogs in their semi-final triumph over Chelsea’s BlueCo stablemate Strasbourg, Rayo arrived in Leipzig riding a rich vein of form, unbeaten in nine matches. 

With Rayo Vallecano finishing eighth and Palace 15th in their leagues, both knew victory on Wednesday was their only hope of returning to the European stage. Rayo had the first chance of the match when Alemao flashed just wide of the post with 25 minutes gone. 

Palace had a golden chance at an opener just before the break. Wharton looped an inch-perfect cross over the Rayo defence but Tyrick Mitchell’s header floated just wide. 

The game burst into life early in the second half as Palace eventually found their stride.

Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla got two hands to Wharton’s powerful shot from the edge of the box but could only parry into the path of Mateta, who reacted quickly to tap home. 

Palace were inches from doubling their lead shortly after when Yeremy Pino slammed a free-kick which bounced off both posts, Rayo somehow clearing after the ball hit a defender and came off the woodwork for a third time.

In truth, Palace were rarely troubled after taking the lead, keeping Rayo at bay and adding another trophy to last year’s breakthrough FA Cup triumph and the Community Shield at the start of this season. 

Spain, a former world champion, has announced their 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will take place in the USA, Mexico, and Canada starting on June 11.

Luis de la Fuente, the head coach who led Spain to victory in UEFA Euro 2024, has chosen a well-rounded team for the competition.

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal will be one of the players to keep an eye on, but he is probably going to miss Spain’s first group-stage game due to injury.

Fermin Lopez, a midfielder for La Roja, had surgery last week to treat a foot injury.

Before the World Cup, Spain will play pre-tournament friendlies against Peru on June 8 and Iraq on June 4.

Spain’s campaign begins on June 14 against Cape Verde, which is drawn in Group H with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 SQUAD FOR SPAIN

Goalkeepers: Unai Simón, David Raya, Joan García

Defenders: Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill, Eric García, Marcos Llorente, Pedro Porro

Midfielders: Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Martín Zubimendi, Gavi, Rodrigo Hernández, Álex Baena, Mikel Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal

Forwards: Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Yeremy Pino, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Víctor Muñoz, Lamine Yamal