Bayern Target Anthony Gordon Amid Newcastle's Nübel Decision

Bayern Munich have identified Anthony Gordon as a priority attacking signing – but they are having to get creative to make the numbers work.

According to Bild, the Bundesliga giants are determined to land the Newcastle United winger yet do not have the cash on hand to simply meet the Premier League club’s hefty valuation. The solution on the table is old‑fashioned: a player-plus-cash deal, with Alexander Nübel as the key bargaining chip.

Newcastle’s need for a goalkeeper has opened the door. With Nick Pope edging towards an exit from St James’ Park, the club are actively scouring the market for a new No 1, and Nübel’s name sits firmly in the frame. The German, fresh from an impressive loan spell at Stuttgart, offers an immediate, high-level option at a position Eddie Howe knows he must upgrade.

For Bayern, the timing is perfect. For Nübel, it is anything but.

Nübel Frozen Out in Munich

The 29-year-old is due back at the Allianz Arena this summer and is tied to Bayern until June 2030 after extending before heading to Stuttgart. On paper, that looks like security. In reality, his path is blocked.

Bayern have nailed down their goalkeeping hierarchy around Manuel Neuer, Jonas Urbig and Sven Ulreich. Nübel, once viewed as Neuer’s heir, is now surplus to requirements.

Sporting director Christoph Freund did not bother to sugarcoat it.

“We've had discussions with his management and Alex is also aware of our plans. We're heading into next season with this trio of goalkeepers; that's the plan,” he said, laying out the internal stance with brutal clarity.

So Bayern have a goalkeeper they do not need, a winger they badly want, and a transfer market that demands flexibility. The equation writes itself.

Bayern’s Attack Rebuild

The German champions have been open about their intention to refresh the frontline. Before Bayern’s DFB Cup final win over Stuttgart in Berlin, sporting director Max Eberl spelled out the approach at a Bild event.

“We agree that we will sign an attacking player if he is affordable,” Eberl said. “We had a very good discussion and hope that we can make progress.”

Gordon fits that brief: direct, relentless, Premier League-tested, and still with upside. But “affordable” is the sticking point. Newcastle, under pressure from financial regulations yet still ambitious, are not inclined to let one of their standout performers leave on the cheap.

That is where Nübel comes in. His inclusion as a makeweight is designed to shave a significant chunk off the fee while handing Howe a ready-made starter between the posts.

World Cup Clock Ticking

Nothing about this deal is straightforward, and the calendar is not helping.

Nübel is currently away with Germany at the World Cup in North America, his focus fixed on international duty. Newcastle, meanwhile, are running parallel scouting operations, sounding out younger options such as Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser as they plan for life after Pope.

The longer the tournament runs, the more this proposed swap drifts into late-summer territory. Medicals, negotiations, and the delicate balance of squad planning on both sides all get squeezed into a shrinking window.

For Newcastle, the decision is stark. Do they bank on a package built around an experienced German goalkeeper and lose Gordon’s energy and end product from their attack? Or do they hold their nerve, chase a different keeper, and force Bayern to find another way to fund their next marquee forward?

Bayern have made their move. The next call belongs to Tyneside.