Everton are set to receive a boost to revenue if former academy star Anthony Gordon’s transfer to Barcelona goes through. The Cateloinian giants have agreed a near £70M transfer fee for the 25-year-old England international.
BBC Sport previously reported the clubs were in advanced talks as they looked to agree a fee. These had been described as positive and it is claimed that a deal has now been struck worth in excess of €80M (£69.3M).
Gordon is expected to finalise the formalities of his move before he flies out with his England team-mates to the United States for a training camp before the World Cup.
Everton are thought to be in line for 15% of any extra profit on the initial £45M transfer they received from Newcastle Utd in 2023.
Would you credit it?
We are expected to believe the national rags and the hyperventilating ‘it’s a done deal!’ merchants on social media who are currently having a collective meltdown over the news that Everton’s former Academy graduate, the boy who swapped Kirkdale for the Bigg Market, is on the verge of completing this £69.3M (€80M) move to Barcelona.
Yes, that Barcelona. The same Barcelona that was, until approximately five minutes ago, entirely bankrupt and trying to pay its electricity bills in unsold Spotify premium vouchers.
And do these sums really add up?
According to reports, Joan Laporta has actually opened his mouth and confirmed the deal, while Anthony is allegedly flying out to Spain to pocket a cool £300,000 a week.
For those keeping score at home via the standard ToffeeWeb ledger of perpetual grievance, here is how the financial trajectory of Star Boy Gordon looks:
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January 2023: After falling out with some fatuous fans, he pushes through a messy, unedifying exit from Goodison Park. Newcastle pay £45.6M. Bill Kenwright’s ghost presumably sighs.
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May 2026: After a season where he supposedly didn’t even kick a ball after April due to a hip injury, Barcelona rock up with nearly £70M in a briefcase.
Let that sink in. A player whose primary attributes at Everton were running very fast in a straight line, looking incredibly pale, and falling over in the penalty box, is now apparently the chosen successor to inherit the turf once graced by Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho…
The Champions League Mirage
The justification for this astronomical fee is that he’s hit 10 goals in 12 Champions League games this season for Eddie Howe’s lot. Fine. Credit where it’s due; he found his shooting boots on the continent.
But let’s not pretend he’s been ripping up the Premier League, week-in & week-out. Newcastle didn’t even manage to qualify for Europe next season, and yet Barca are treating him like the second coming of Johan Cruyff.
Rumour has it Hansi Flick sees him as a versatile option who can play across the front line now that Robert Lewandowski is packing his bags. We see him as a lad who will get about three matches in La Liga before the notoriously fickle Nou Camp crowd realizes his first touch frequently goes further than his actual shots.
The Inevitable Bitter Pill
What does this mean for Evertonians? Mostly, another heavy sigh. If there really is a 15% a sell-on clause hidden in that original £45M deal, maybe Angus Kinnear can scrape together enough loose change to buy a squad player from the Championship who can actually control a football.
But watching a lad who threw a tantrum to leave L4 suddenly getting unveiled at the Camp Nou while we are still counting pennies and staring down the barrel of modern football’s grim realities? It’s enough to make you sick.
Expect the official announcement by the end of the week. This one has “Disastrous loan move back to West Ham in 18 months” written all over it.