Anthony Gordon to Barcelona could spark five transfer domino effect involving Liverpool and Arsenal

Lewis Oldham 29 May 2026 7:50 AM

Anthony Gordon, Junior Kroupi and Bradley Barcola

Anthony Gordon could spark moves for Junior Kroupi and Bradley Barcola.

The first domino has fallen in this summer’s transfer window, with FC Barcelona somehow finding £69m to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United after leaving Marcus Rashford in the lurch over a £26m permanent deal. Club president Joan Laporta must be part of the magic circle.

And this will have a knock-on effect for more big-money deals across Europe this summer, with it now inevitable that Arsenal will sign Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi via Liverpool landing PSG’s Bradley Barcola.

We only say this half-jokingly, because there is some method to this madness – if you would be so kind as to hear us out before getting those pitchforks out…

Anthony Gordon to FC Barcelona (£69m)

Honestly, this feels like a great deal for all parties: Gordon secures a dream move to an elite club, Newcastle balance the books by selling a top talent for a profit, and Barcelona strengthen their attack with a pacey and versatile forward who should provide quality competition for their current options.

It will be interesting to see what impact (if there is any at all) this deal has on Rashford, though there should be room for both players with Robert Lewandowski leaving on a free transfer next month. Barcelona just need to buckle to Man Utd’s demands and activate the buy option before next month’s deadline, with INEOS showing pretty impressive resilience in negotiations.

With Barcelona also very keen on Julian Alvarez – who will go elsewhere if this domino effect becomes reality, which it obviously will – they certainly mean business this summer and it’s hard to see Real Madrid stopping them from winning a third consecutive La Liga title with the impending car crash of Jose Mourinho’s return.

READ: Anthony Gordon to Barcelona is a bemusing but welcome move for Tuchel and England

Yan Diomande to Bayern Munich (£86m)

For a while, Bayern Munich seemed the most likely destination for Gordon, but they are now back to the drawing board after reportedly refusing to match Barcelona’s offer.

And this could lead them to step up their interest in RB Leipzig sensation Diomande, who appears to be Liverpool’s leading option to replace Mohamed Salah.

But Bayern Munich are due to get one over on Liverpool and Premier League clubs generally after being left with egg on their face following the Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade sagas; they should be more willing to splash out on Diomande, who is six years Gordon’s junior.

Bradley Barcola to Liverpool (£86m)

It would be a pretty substantial blow for Liverpool, who are in a right old mess at all levels and now have another major problem to solve, were they to miss out on Diomande. They are crying out for that injection of pace on the flanks and there are not too many credible targets on the market.

Yet with Gordon and Diomande off the table in this scenario, the Reds could turn to Barcola: a player who Fabrizio Romano has already backed to move to Anfield as part of a summer “domino effect”.

PSG’s other stellar forwards have overshadowed the 23-year-old in recent seasons, but he has contributed 13 goals and seven assists with relatively limited minutes this season and would certainly bring more excitement for Liverpool supporters than Cody Gakpo and Salah this term.

Julian Alvarez to Paris Saint-Germain (£108m)

All indications are that Barcola is the most dispensable of PSG’s current attackers, but this does not mean that he wouldn’t need to be replaced.

Barcola is more of a winger than a striker, but his sale could give PSG the impetus to step up their interest in Alvarez after Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone named them as one of three potential destinations for the ex-Manchester City star this summer.

Alvarez has sparkled since escaping from under Erling Haaland’s shadow and is now one of the standout forwards in Europe; he is one of very few players who is capable of improving a PSG side that is already near-perfect.

Junior Kroupi to Arsenal (£80m)

There is slightly more scope for improvement with Arsenal than PSG, which is why most people have Luis Enrique’s side as the favourites for this weekend’s Champions League final.

Sitting second only to Manchester United in our five-year net spend table, Arsenal will need to sell several assets to balance the books this summer, but they can strengthen in attack by signing a striker and/or left winger.

And the Gunners have reportedly already chosen their two ‘main targets’ this summer, with Kroupi perhaps the most likely of them to join the Premier League champions, with their other leading option PSG-bound.

Thirteen Premier League goals is a superb return for the 19-year-old’s debut season, and the special talent is another fine example of a stellar recruitment model that’s helped Bournemouth secure Europa League football.

The offer of European football may nevertheless not be enough to keep Kroupi and others, with a move to Arsenal difficult to turn down if when those aforementioned dominoes fall this summer.

F365 Features Anthony Gordon