Why Barcelona Signed Anthony Gordon Instead of Marcus Rashford

The Newcastle United winger will cost significantly more in terms of a transfer fee.

The math on Anthony Gordon makes sense. | Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images/Maciej Rogowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Barcelona wasted little time in setting up for next season, moving within days of La Liga wrapping for 2025–26 to strike an agreement with Newcastle United for Anthony Gordon.

The England winger is expected to become a Barcelona player pretty imminently after the clubs shook hands on a $81.6 million (€70 million, £60.7 million) transfer fee. Personal terms are reported to have been no issue, with only the procedural formalities left to go.

One obvious consequence of the transfer is what happens to Marcus Rashford. The Manchester United forward spent 2025–26 on loan with Barcelona and was hoping to see the club utilize a buy option set out in the original agreement that priced him below market value.

There has long been hesitance from the Blaugrana to do that. The decision to then spend more than double the money on Gordon, who arrives in the same position, took plenty of fans by surprise.

Gordon appears well suited to more technical European-style soccer. He racked up 12 goal involvements in 12 Champions League appearances this season, compared to only eight in 26 Premier League matches. The Liverpool-born star also scored against Barcelona in the league phase, one of three appearances against the club he will now join.

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Amortization Drives Barcelona Decision Making

The cost will be spread over a longer period. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

But there is financial logic to the Gordon transfer and the key is amortization—spreading the cost of signing and paying a player’s salary over the full term of their contract.

Barcelona could have spent just $35 million on signing Rashford on a permanent basis, yet a higher annual salary and shorter contract likely wouldn’t have made the 28-year-old significantly cheaper for the reigning Spanish champions overall. The deal will pay Gordon slightly less than Rashford is believed to have been on during the loan and also spreads the transfer fee over two years more.

It is for that reason Rashford was reportedly hoping Barcelona would offer him a five-year contract on less money instead, if it meant lowering the annual expense for the club so that he could stay.

As it sits, the annual outlay isn’t going to be much different. But, in Gordon, Barcelona have a similar player who is more than three years younger, with room still to improve. At almost 29, Rashford may not get any better than he is right now. The Catalans could also potentially resell Gordon in three or four years, whereas an investment made in Rashford now could be almost completely lost by 2029.

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Rashford’s Future Lies Elsewhere

Marcus Rashford is waiting for a Barcelona offer that may not now come. | Gongora/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Barcelona signing Rashford hasn’t been formally ruled out just yet and the player is reported to be holding on to hope until a time when that is the case. But one anonymous club official is quoted by The Athletic saying that a deal is now “more complicated” than it was before Gordon happened.

Rashford’s options would appear to be reintegration at Manchester United, who do have a call for a left forward, or a move to a new club—either in England or abroad for a second time.

A case could be made for Aston Villa, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Bayern Munich and AC Milan.

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