CHELSEA are ready to drop their interest in Anthony Gordon – but Newcastle United are adamant they will not become embroiled in a bidding war for the wantaway Everton midfielder.

Gordon did not train with the Toffees for the second day in a row today, further strengthening the belief that he will be leaving Goodison Park ahead of Tuesday night’s transfer deadline.

However, while there have been high-level talks between senior officials at Newcastle and Everton, the two clubs remain some way apart in their valuation of the England Under-21 international.

Having demanded £60m for Gordon in the summer, the Everton hierarchy are adamant they will not be lowering their asking price despite the midfielder’s fluctuating form in the first half of the season.

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Newcastle, who had a summer offer rejected on Merseyside, feel Gordon’s personal situation and Everton’s fragile position close to the foot of the Premier League mean the 21-year-old’s value has dropped in the last six months.

Ideally, the Magpies would like to pay an up-front fee of around £25m for Gordon, with potential add-ons worth around £15m taking the total value of the transfer to £40m.

At this stage, those numbers do not work for Everton, but with further discussions anticipated ahead of deadline day, Newcastle’s recruitment team remain hopeful that a compromise agreement can be reached.

Their attempts to sign Gordon should be made easier by an anticipated lack of competition from Chelsea, who had previously been linked with a possible move of their own this month.

Chelsea were interested in Gordon last summer, but while the youngster still has his admirers at Stamford Bridge, the Blues are pursuing alternative transfer priorities as they look to continue their spending in the final week of the window.

Graham Potter is pushing for the purchase of a central midfielder, with Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Amadou Onana all having been linked with a possible move to west London, and filling a gap in that position is regarded as more important than splashing out on Gordon. Chelsea have already spent £80m on Mykhaylo Mudryk, another player who tends to play in a wide-attacking position, this month.

While Newcastle have previously been linked with James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Jack Harrison this month, Gordon has evolved into the club’s leading target.

The forward, who can play in a wide-attacking position on the left or in a more central role, is regarded on Tyneside as the most exciting attacking-midfield prospect currently playing in the English top-flight.

The Liverpudlian, who has had previous loan spells at Preston and Swindon Town, is a product of Everton’s academy system and has made 78 senior appearances for the Toffees. He has scored three goals this season, but was an unused substitute in the 2-0 defeat at West Ham last weekend that proved to be Frank Lampard’s final game as Everton boss.

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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is set to allow Karl Darlow and Ryan Fraser to leave before the window closes next Tuesday – the former remains likely to join Championship side Hull City on loan – but the Magpies head coach is adamant he does not want Allan Saint-Maximin to leave despite reported interest from AC Milan.

A series of reports in the Italian media this morning suggested Milan were lining up a move for Saint-Maximin, but despite the Frenchman not having started a league game for Newcastle since August, Howe has no intention of losing him this month.

Saint-Maximin was a second-half substitute as Newcastle beat Southampton on Tuesday evening, and played an influential role in the closing stages of the game, drawing the foul that led to Duje Caleta-Car’s late dismissal.