Newcastle United are now stepping up their pursuit of a new winger, with Anthony Gordon’s future at St. James’ Park up in the air.
Newcastle eyeing winger with Gordon’s future in doubt
Gordon has been at the centre of a storm over the past week or so, and Eddie Howe recently came out in his defence, stating it was his own decision not to start the winger in the crucial Champions League tie against Barcelona.
Howe said: “I do have to clear something up with Anthony Gordon. He was absolutely willing to play in the game against Barcelona. I know there’s a lot of comments. It was my decision not to start him based on the fact that he’d been ill that morning and hadn’t attended the training session.
“He was prepared to play, but in consultation with the medical team, he didn’t think he was fit to play.”
The left-winger has played a major role in the Magpies reaching the Champions League round of 16, picking up ten goals and two assists in 11 games, which underlines his importance to Howe, but the Englishman’s future is now in doubt.
Arsenal and Liverpool are in the race for the 25-year-old, with Mikel Arteta’s side willing to launch a £75m move, which means Howe may be tasked with bringing in a replacement this summer, and a new target has now been identified.
Newcastle eyeing “special” forward as Gordon replacement
According to a report from Sports Boom, Gordon is likely to leave Newcastle in the summer transfer window, having been identified as Manchester United’s top target, and Newcastle are now making an aggressive move to sign FC Porto star Rodrigo Mora.
The Portuguese side value the 18-year-old very highly, but a €70m (£60m) bid from the Magpies would be hard to turn down, which suggests a deal could be possible if the PIF are prepared to spend big.
However, Manchester City and Arsenal are also credited with an interest in the teenager, alongside Real Madrid, so there could be fierce competition from some top clubs.
Despite his tender years, the youngster has been making waves in Portugal for quite some time, being lauded by scout Jacek Kulig a little over a year ago.
The Porto star is capable of playing on both wings and through attacking midfield, and he has already made 70 senior appearances for the Portuguese side, chipping in with 16 goals and six assists in 70 matches.
This season, the starlet has been particularly impressive in the Europa League, picking up three goals and one assist in eight matches, but there are doubts about whether Newcastle should make a move.
Rodrigo Mora clearly has plenty of potential, but £60m would be a huge fee to spend on such a young player, and their number one priority should be to keep hold of Gordon, given that the former Everton man has excelled in the Champions League this season.
