Barcelona sign England winger Gordon from Newcastle

May 29 : Anthony Gordon's long-held dream of playing for Barcelona became a reality on Friday, with the England winger even showing off a surprise skill, answering questions in Spanish, as he was unveiled by the LaLiga club.

Barcelona have signed Gordon from Newcastle United on a five-year contract, the Spanish champions said on Friday.

Financial details were not disclosed but British media reported that Barca offered an initial 80 million euros ($93.14 million) plus add-ons for the 25-year-old.

"I was excited to play for Barca (since) I was three years of age," Anthony said, fielding parts of the media conference in fluent Spanish to the surprise of journalists.

"I wanted to speak Spanish because, as a kid, I believed I would play football for Barca, believe it or not. I have a physio in Newcastle, and we spoke every day, and I told him 'One day I'll play for Barca, so I want to learn Spanish.'"

Gordon netted 17 goals for Newcastle in all competitions this season, including 10 in 12 Champions League games.

"He comes to the club after being top scorer with Newcastle United last season and the player who took on most dribbles," Barcelona said in a statement.

"Gordon impressed in his three appearances against Barca last season in the Champions League."

However, Newcastle struggled to make a mark in the Premier League, where they finished 12th and failed to qualify for European competition.

Earlier this month, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted Gordon may have played his final game for the club when the winger was linked with Bayern Munich, saying there were "discussions that potentially might be happening".

However, it was Barcelona who swooped to sign Gordon, who is part of England's World Cup squad.

"To play with Lamine (Yamal) and