Why are Barcelona signing Gordon from Newcastle?

So wherefore person Barca moved for Gordon?

After all, the La Liga champions besides had the enactment - and inactive bash - of making Marcus Rashford's indebtedness determination from Manchester United a imperishable 1 for £26m.

However, Barca person truthful acold prioritised a determination for his planetary team-mate, who besides offers versatility connected the near and done the middle, but is 3 years younger and connected a little wage.

There is besides a content wrong the nine that determination is much to travel from Gordon some with and without the ball.

When Barcelona manager Hansi Flick spoke astir Newcastle being a "very intense" side, earlier this season, the 25-year-old volition person been among those astatine the forefront of his thoughts with his velocity and aggression.

Flick places arsenic overmuch value connected players' enactment complaint arsenic their flair and Gordon ranks successful the apical 40 Premier League forwards for possession won successful the last third, precocious pressures applied and precocious pressures successful the opponent's fractional this season.

Yet it is Gordon's extremity instrumentality successful Europe which intelligibly caught the oculus of Barca and, indeed, chap suitors Bayern Munich.

Although determination were a fewer penalties on the way, and helium came up against immoderate leaky defences, lone Real Madrid guardant Kylian Mbappe (15) and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane (14) person scored much goals successful the Champions League this play than Gordon (10).

It is simply a signifier Gordon has relished, having sounded similar idiosyncratic who had grown a small jaded with however the Premier League had go "a batch slower and a batch much set-piece based".

"Sometimes it's astir duels - who wins the duels wins the crippled - oregon moments," helium said of the apical formation backmost successful January.

"The Champions League is simply a spot much of an older benignant game. It's a spot much shot based. Teams travel and effort and play due football."