Despite Liverpool turning down an offer to sign Anthony Gordon prior to the Premier League‘s PSR deadline, Newcastle have “fears” his head will be turned.
It emerged on Saturday that, as they pushed for sales to meet the Premier League spending limits, Newcastle had offered Gordon to Liverpool.
But any potential deal broke down with the Saudi-owned club looking to include Jarell Quansah in the equation, the Reds unsurprisingly rejecting any sale of their prodigious centre-back.
There is long-term interest from Anfield, however, and though they managed to sell Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to fall below the spending threshold, Newcastle showed their hand when it comes to Gordon.
According to The Athletic‘s Newcastle correspondent Chris Waugh, the offer “came out of desperation,” as they explored all avenues in order to raise funds.
“There are lingering fears internally that his head may have been turned,” the reporter added.
Liverpool already enquired about Gordon
As a boyhood Liverpool supporter who was on the books as a youngster before being released at 11, it would be no surprise that Gordon would want the move.
Whether it is a deal that the club explores this summer remains to be seen, with it having been maintained that there is already sufficient depth on the left flank.
That is true at face value, with Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez all capable of playing there, but much could hinge on whether Diaz stays amid interest from Barcelona.
Moreover, Waugh reveals that Liverpool had already made a “tentative enquiry” into Gordon’s availability in the past, suggesting there are plans in motion to evolve their left-hand side.
It seems considerably less controversial now for players to – at least indirectly – cross the Liverpool-Everton divide, with Conor Coady and even Rafa Benitez having done so in recent years.
Newcastle have made their stance clear
Still only 23, eligible as homegrown, passionate about the club and coming off the back of a season that saw him score 11 goals and assist another 10 in 35 league games, Gordon would certainly be a smart acquisition.
And though they are no longer in as vulnerable a position, Newcastle sent a message in publicly offering their No. 10 out.
It showed clubs that Gordon is not untouchable in the transfer market, and by the same token, it showed the player himself that he is not indispensable.
That could prompt the winger to consider his future, particularly when it comes to a potential return to Merseyside – making his situation one to keep an eye over the next two months.