Everton have rejected a bid from Chelsea for Anthony Gordon as Thomas Tuchel has stepped up his interest in the winger.
Chelsea face a decision whether to come back with a second offer of around £50 million to test Everton’s resolve to keep the England Under-21 international.
Their position has been that Gordon is not for sale while manager Frank Lampard is keen to build around the 21-year-old, who he feels is a key player in his plans.
But an even bigger bid could help Everton finance their summer dealings, with Lampard in need of another striker after Dominic Calvert-Lewin was injured and looking for midfield reinforcements.
Everton had hoped to give Gordon a new contract to reflect his development into a first-team player. He has three years left on the deal he signed in 2020 and has not rejected an improved offer, but nor has anything been agreed.
A move for Gordon could take Chelsea’s summer spending past £200m. Since Todd Boehly’s takeover, they have bought Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina.
Manager Tuchel has been keen to add to his forward line after Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner left Stamford Bridge, though bringing in Gordon could allow Hakim Ziyech or Callum Hudson-Odoi to leave.
