Newcastle accelerating talks to sign £35m star

Anthony Gordon played his first game since leaving Newcastle United in England’s 1-0 win over New Zealand in their first warm-up game for the World Cup.

The flying winger completed a £70m transfer to Spanish giants Barcelona at the end of last month, after recording 17 goals and five assists for the Magpies in all competitions this season.

Gordon did not show much to the fans of his new club in the win for the Three Lions, though, as he came on for the second half and offered little to Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Newcastle supporters know that he is capable of great things, though, after watching him fly down the wing for the past three-and-a-half-seasons at St. James’ Park in the Premier League.

However, most of his damage was done in the Champions League for the Magpies in the 2025/26 campaign, as he scored ten goals and registered two assists in 12 outings in the competition.

Newcastle United set for talks to sign LaLiga forward

The 2023/24 season was Gordon’s best in the Premier League during his time on Tyneside. He scored 11 goals and supplied ten assists in 35 appearances for Eddie Howe’s team that term.

This season, though, the 25-year-old winger only produced six goals and two assists in the top-flight, and the club are now looking at a star who could perfectly replace him.

According to The Northern Echo, Newcastle United are interested in a deal to sign Osasuna winger Victor Munoz in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Spain international, who is off to the World Cup this summer, is a leading target to replace Gordon and have already held talks with the LaLiga side.

It adds that those talks are expected to ramp up in the coming days because the Magpies are pushing to secure an early deal for the winger, rather than dragging it out throughout the summer.

The Northern Echo also reveals that the 22-year-old talent has a release clause of €40m (£35m) in his contract, but Newcastle may look to negotiate a different deal for him, whilst other teams are also in the race for his signature.

Why Victor Munoz is the perfect Newcastle replacement for Anthony Gordon

Howe should be pleased with the club’s hopes of progressing in talks to sign Munoz in the coming days and weeks because the youngster could be the English manager’s next version of Gordon.

Without splashing record transfer fees and spending nearly £100m on a player, it is difficult to sign a guaranteed star to replace the England international, given that they just sold him for £70m and proven Premier League players come at a premium.

That means that the Magpies have to be clever in their recruitment and signing Munoz for £35m could be a clever piece of business, based on his form for Osasuna in LaLiga in the 2025/26 campaign.

At face value, a return of six goals and two assists does not stand out as outstanding, although it does match Gordon’s tally in the Premier League, but some of his underlying statistics suggest that there is far more to come from him.

Munoz’s xA suggests that poor finishing from his teammates let him down in the assist charts, as he was one of the better creators in LaLiga from a wide position, but was only rewarded twice.

His return of six goals from 5.86 xG also shows that he can be an efficient finisher and could offer an even greater threat in front of goal in a team that creates more chances for him to find the back of the net.

Munoz’s impressive number of touches in the opposition’s box and successful dribbles, meanwhile, show that he excels at getting himself into dangerous positions to be effective in the final third.

The Spaniard, like Gordon, is a rapid winger who can carry his team up the pitch with the ball at his feet, using his explosive pace to cause constant problems for the opposition’s defence.

Therefore, Munoz could be the perfect signing to replace Gordon because he is an up-and-coming talent with all the attributes to become Howe’s next superstar at St. James’ Park.