Eddie Howe quizzed on Anthony Gordon's future as Bayern Munich open talks

Anthony Gordon's future at Newcastle United is looking increasingly shaky as rumours around a Bayern Munich move intensify.

In the last 24 hours, reports have surfaced suggesting that Newcastle and Bayern have been in talks over a potential summer deal for the England winger.

The two clubs are quite far apart on their valuation of the forward as it stands, but the German side isn't the only club keen on Gordon, so Newcastle can safely stand their ground when it comes to price for now.

Newcastle have made it clear that they want any big sales to be concluded quickly this year to avoid another situation like the one that cast a huge shadow over last summer's window with Alexander Isak.

Howe responds to Gordon questions 

Eddie Howe was asked about the Gordon rumours when he faced the media on Friday morning ahead of Sunday's clash with Nottingham Forest.

The boss made it clear he wouldn't be commenting on potential deals involving individual players, and is instead looking to finish the season strongly.

However, he did respond to a question on Gordon's commitment after previously stating he would not play anyone not '100% committed.' 

"It is difficult for me to comment too much on individual players and timescales, as that is going into an area that isn't really my forte. 

"I will leave that to other people. All I am doing is try and finish the season in a strong way and make sure players are committed to the here and now. There is no point looking to the future. 

"The summer transfer window is difficult to predict and difficult to see what is going to happen on any level at this moment in time. We have three games to play and our full focus is on that."

Asked if Gordon remains 100% committed to the cause at present, Howe insisted he'll judge the winger based on his application and attitude in training, not outside noise.

"Yeah, he wouldn't be in the squad if that was the case.

"I don't judge that on communications elsewhere, I do that with my relationship with the player and how I see them train."

Let's hope Gordon opts to move to Europe

Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have all declared an interest in Anthony Gordon, so while Bayern Munich has made the first move, they are unlikely to be the only club at the table, which will play nicely into Newcastle's hands.

It's feeling more and more inevitable that this will be Gordon's last season at Newcastle, and as long as we can secure a tidy profit (of which Everton will get a slice thanks to a sell-on clause), we don't really mind. 

We'd certainly prefer him to move abroad so he's less likely to haunt us, but really, it's all about making the sale, taking the money and reinvesting it wisely and moving forward.