Everton hope Anthony Gordon saga has ended after £45m Chelsea bid rejected
Everton have rejected a £45m bid from Chelsea for Anthony Gordon, as per The Times.
Paul Joyce wrote for The Times on 16 August that the Toffees have rejected the second offer from Chelsea, after their opening £40m verbal offer was rejected last week.
The onus is now on Chelsea to come up with a “tempting gambit”, but the Toffees hope that the saga ends right here.
Statement of intent
Unless Chelsea come up with an offer of over £50m, it looks unlikely that Everton will be forced to enter into any kind of negotiation for Gordon.
The 21-year-old is an exciting young talent and Frank Lampard wants him to be a part of his long-term project.
There can be a counterargument regarding the thought process. Gordon is an inexperienced player and there is no guarantee that he will become a top-quality player in the future.
Everton need players now, and they could have used him as part exchange to bring Chelsea players like Conor Gallagher, Billy Gilmour or Armando Broja.
The Toffees are operating on a tight budget, and the deal could have helped them to rebuild the squad.
However, the decision to keep Gordon strong message to the player and the fan base. Having already sold Richarlison, the club has made it clear they want to keep hold of their young talents.
Anything can happen in the transfer window, but at the moment, it looks like Chelsea will have to turn their attention away from Gordon.