Liverpool retain interest in signing Anthony Gordon whose head has been turned by the prospect of moving to Anfield, though a report has revealed how Newcastle aim to put the saga to rest once and for all.
In the run-up to the June 30 deadline for conforming to PSG regulations, the future of Anthony Gordon became a hot topic.
TEAMtalk has been able to verify it was Newcastle who initiated contact with Liverpool regarding the ex-Everton winger’s return to Merseyside.
A cash-plus-player deal that would’ve seen centre-back Jarell Quansah move to St. James’ Park was floated.
However, Liverpool had no intention of parting ways with Quansah and Newcastle’s roughly £80m valuation of Gordon was deemed too costly for a straight cash deal.
Ultimately, Newcastle sold Yankuba Minteh (£30m) to Brighton and Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest (£35m) to help balance their books.
However, the speculation surrounding Gordon has not gone away. On the contrary, our transfer insider, Fraser Gillan, has learned Gordon to Liverpool is still a possibility.
Furthermore, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed Gordon himself was “over the moon” at the thought of re-joining his boyhood club. Gordon was on Liverpool’s books as a youngster before joining Everton’s academy aged 16.
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“What I’m told is the deal was never really close between Liverpool and Newcastle,” Romano said. “They [Liverpool and Newcastle] had a conversation. They had an exchange about the possibility, but the price tag was way too high for Liverpool to make things happen.
“A swap deal was also really complicated as Liverpool didn’t want to lose some of their best players. So, it was an idea, it was a conversation but it was never something really close.
“The player was over the moon – the player was keen on joining Liverpool. But at the end between the two clubs, like Alexander Isak with Chelsea, it was never something really concrete.”
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Newcastle to end Anthony Gordon speculation with decisive move
The Gordon saga is one that could rumble on throughout the summer and bleed into Newcastle’s pre-season preparations.
The Magpies are understood to be keen on retaining the livewire winger who hit double figures in both goals and assists in the Premier League last season. Their determination has only increased now the all-important PSR deadline has passed.
According to a fresh update from talkSPORT, Newcastle have a plan in mind they hope will put the Gordon speculation to rest once and for all.
They state that despite the fact Gordon only joined Newcastle one year ago, the Magpies plan to offer Gordon a new contract on vastly improved terms.
Gordon earns £60,000-a-week at present, though will be in line for a hefty pay rise should he put pen to paper.
The report stated: ‘Newcastle are ready to hand Anthony Gordon a lucrative new contract to fend off interest from the Premier League big-guns.’
Signing a new deal would a crystal clear indication that Gordon is not leaving St. James’ Park any time soon.