Barcelona have completed the signing of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United.The Athletic previously reported that the deal will be worth €80million (£69.3m; $93.2m), with a sell-on clause also included.The England international has signed a five-year deal at the Camp Nou through to 2031.Bayern Munich and Chelsea had also been interested in Gordon, who had also been tracked by Arsenal and Liverpool in recent years.Gordon made 46 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle this season, scoring 17 goals, including 10 in 12 Champions League games.The 25-year-old will be part of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad at the World Cup this summer and has 17 caps to date.He leaves having made 152 appearances for Newcastle after joining from Everton in January 2023 for an initial fee of £40m.Why now for Newcastle?Analysis by senior writer George CaulkinWhile Newcastle have no wish to lose their best players, this comes with a caveat. To do the (considerable) business they need to do this summer, they need to sell big and they need to sell smartly and there is a general feeling that now is the time for Gordon to go.Speed is of the essence. A year ago, there was a power vacuum at St James’ Park and they drifted through a draining, corrosive close-season with no sporting director in place and a chief executive who was on medical leave. Their transfer business was late — the contentious departure of Alexander Isak to Liverpool automatically made them worse — and desperate.Under the leadership of David Hopkinson, the new CEO, and Ross Wilson, the sporting director, there is a determination that those mistakes will not be repeated. They have been in negotiations with both Barcelona and Bayern Munich for weeks with a deal for Gordon now done. It shows Newcastle mean business, although their fans will understandably be more interested in who replaces him.Newcastle must now pivot to how they will replace Gordon (Carl Recine/Getty Images)Barcelona are getting a player of rare pace and quality. On his best days, Gordon has led Howe’s pressing style with targeted running and his numbers in the Champions League this season speak for themselves. In the Premier League, however, he — as well as the rest of his team-mates — have not been anything like as effective.Two years ago, it took all of Howe’s man-management skills to bring Gordon around after he came close to leaving for Liverpool, the team he supported as a child. There was little desire from either side to go through that again.How will Gordon’s exit impact Newcastle’s spending?Analysis by football finance writer Chris WeatherspoonGordon’s departure makes financial sense for Newcastle. He arrived from Everton in January 2023 for £40m, potentially rising to £45m, and, even as his former club are owed 15 per cent of any profit Newcastle make, the Tyneside club will reap notable reward from the €80m sale.Per The Athletic’s calculations, after factoring in estimates for agent fees and other additional costs, as well as Gordon signing a new contract in October 2024, Newcastle’s profit on sale should land a little over the £41m mark — even after deducting the estimated £3.8m due to Everton.The Premier League’s shift to a squad cost ratio (SCR) regime means not all that sum will count towards Newcastle’s 2026-27 SCR income; player profits are averaged across three seasons. Still, with the club not in Europe next season and thus able to spend 85 per cent of relevant income on players, a little under £14m profit in next season’s calculation translates to around £12m of extra spending capacity, and that’s without even mentioning the saving from Gordon’s wages.How are Barca affording it?Analysis by Barcelona correspondent Pol BallusBarca have been in close contact with La Liga over the past few months and have received positive signs regarding their position within the league’s salary limit rules this summer.