Newcastle could see a £40m bid accepted to sign the new striker

Newcastle United fans will have mixed feelings when it comes to Anthony Gordon.

In his Magpies days, the former Everton striker was an attacking threat that was extremely difficult for opposition defenses to contain, with an incredible 17 goals scored last season which sealed his move to Barcelona.

However, he has also tended to feature outside of Eddie Howe’s men, with only six of those 17 strikes coming in the Premier League last campaign.

As a result, the Toon faithful will feel that the business is blind to getting £69m from the Catalan giants for a talent that can’t match up incredibly.

The expectation will be that a hefty £69m will be reinvested in the playing squad, after the Magpies slipped to a disappointing 12th in the top flight, targeting young players on their agenda to try and replace the hot and cold 25-year-old.

Newcastle have read a £40m asking price

Already, Newcastle have had to deal with a difficult problem as they look for a long-term replacement for Gordon.

Indeed, Liverpool finally beat the Tyneside giants to the signing of Victor Munoz in the final hour, with the Osasuna gem watched closely by Howe and Co for some time.

There’s no need to panic, though, with Newcastle reportedly holding talks over a move for Matias Fernandez-Pardo from Lille, instead, as they chase a new explosive striker.

It’s not just the left side that is being considered to strengthen the attack, however, with the Daily Mail, via the Metro, reporting that Newcastle are keen to sign Chelsea winger Liam Delap.

Joined by Everton in the race for the Reserve Blues striker, it will reportedly take a bid in the region of £40m to land the youngster from Manchester City.

Landing such a big price for the Stamford Bridge flop would be considered a huge risk, but Newcastle accidentally went after Gordon in 2023 for around £40m, and that was a lot of fun, fingers firmly crossed that Delap could be the next version of England’s 20-time Howe.

How Delap could be Howe’s next Gordon

Newcastle fans would have raised their eyebrows slightly when it was first announced that Gordon would leave the Toffees behind on Tyneside in a bumper £40m switch, with just seven goals and eight assists amassed for his youth club, from 78 total appearances.

Thankfully, Gordon was taken to that next level in the Premier League by Howe, with a career-high 39 goals and 28 assists to his name in 152 games at St James’ Park, when he moved to Camp Nou this summer.

He was still keen to stop working under Howe, but it is clear that the 48-year-old has had a huge impact on the winger’s game, with the new Barca number 19 noting that the one-time AFC Bournemouth boss “improved me a lot” in 2024.

Delap will be praying that working under Howe rejuvenates his game and, if a £40m deal is agreed in the near future, the Englishman is fresh off a dreadful two-goal season in West London, which has seen the number nine already on loan at Chelsea.

However, this difficult campaign in front of goal will not prevent Newcastle from gambling on his services, as they will see more power in Delap, as a striker who can lead the line with venom, like Gordon in his first time on Tyneside.

After all, when he was billed as Ipswich Town’s top scorer in the 2024/25 season, the goals flowed naturally, with 12 fine goals scored alongside the relegated side.

He was branded a “monster” at the Tractor Boys by former Portman Road teammate Alex Palmer, so it will be up to Howe to work his magic on another promising English striker and get him back into hot form in Newcastle’s black and white.

This will be easier said than done, as his confidence was defeated at Stamford Bridge.

But, with the EFL Cup-winning manager best known for being a powerful player from the sidelines, with Bruno Guimaraes calling his long-time manager “a very good man”, it will hopefully be another tight game, as the Magpies’ new-look attack will take the Premier League by storm.