Chelsea and Newcastle United target, tells club he will not return to training: Reports
Chelsea and Newcastle United have been handed a huge transfer boost in their pursuit of English winger Anthony Gordon this January.
The 21-year-old winger has reportedly told his club side Everton that he will not return to training, according to the Daily Mail.
Eddie Howe's team have reportedly made the winger one of their top transfer targets this winter. However, Everton's valuation of the player has made it difficult for Newcastle United to reach an agreement.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are said to be keen on re-igniting their interest in the Everton star player. Recall that the Blues had several bids turned down by his club last summer. Notably, it was a £60 million offer that was rejected in August last year (2022), with the Toffees maintaining their stance to keep the highly-rated winger.
The player, however, revealed a month later that he was surprised by the transfer fee that was offered for his services by Chelsea. In his words, as seen in the Daily Mail, Gordon said:
"That’s football nowadays - it's absolutely crazy. Personally, I don't think any player is worth that much money, but I'm also not going to talk myself."
"The money in football, that’s just how it is nowadays. You're also paying for potential all the time these days. That’s just football goes."
He continued:
"I wasn’t too focused on that because I can only control what I could control. I think the minute you do that (thinking he is £60 million player), there’s only one way you’re going to go."
He also added that he never felt bad after such a huge transfer from the Blues was turned down by his Everton team.
"But because the place (Everton) is so good, it’s not a place where I’m devastated because I have to stay. That’s never been the case. I was never desperate to leave Everton. That was definitely not the case."
It's left to be seen if Anthony Gordon will keep to his word should a transfer not go through once again this January window.
Lyon's president issues statement on Malo Gusto's future amid interest from Chelsea
Lyon president Jean-Michael Aulas has come out to clear the air, concerning the future of one of his top players, Malo Gusto.
The 19-year-old right-back has been the subject of transfer interest from Chelsea, who hope to secure his services this January.
He went on to state that Gusto will not be allowed to leave the club until atleast the end of the 2022-23 football season. In his words, as seen in Football London, he said:
"I can confirm that Malo Gusto will stay here [Olympic Lyon] until the end of the season."