Just under 18 months ago, it seemed like Anthony Gordon was bound for a move away from Newcastle United after enjoying arguably the best season of his career.

Facing the prospect of a PSR-related points deduction, the idea of Gordon being sold to Liverpool with Joe Gomez coming the other way looked very likely. The subsequent sale of Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh prevented that.

We subsequently extended Gordon’s contract, reportedly bumped his wages to being one of the top earners in the squad, and domestic interest in him looks to waned as a result.

But an interesting revelation about Gordon and his contract could explain why, and will be something to keep an eye out on in the near future…

Clause included in Gordon contract?

According to the i’s Mark Douglas, a release clause was inserted into Anthony Gordon’s new Newcastle United contract when the winger put pen to paper last October.

The finer details of it are currently unknown, although Douglas suggests that it’s around the £100m figure that was included in Bruno Guimaraes’ previous deal at Newcastle; which was thankfully not triggered by Man City before it expired in June 2024.

As a full-fledged England international, Howe’s preferred left winger, and still only 24-years-old, there’s a lot to justify a significant figure.

Douglas hints that we may also embed release clauses in the proposed contract talks with key players Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento and Sven Botman: each of whom has attracted significant interest both within the Premier League and from abroad over the last 12 months.

While a release clause can appear undesirable, a high figure sets the benchmark for any interested parties, ensuring they either pay a massive price or miss out.

Need Gordon back to his best

When Gordon signed his contract extension last year, he was coming off one of the best seasons of his young career, recording double digits for goals and assists.

But it’s been a difficult 2025 for the former Everton man: peaking with a pair of brilliant performances against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, Gordon’s red card in the FA Cup against Brighton cost him a place at Wembley, and he’s yet to really get back up to speed since then.

With the fierce competition for places in the senior squad right now, Harvey Barnes and a fit Jacob Ramsey would be ready and eager to displace Gordon in the starting XI.

So Gordon will need to reignite his form if he wants to not only keep his place at left wing locked down, but also justify the club’s faith in his ability that warranted including a release clause in his latest contract to begin with.