Longest serving Liverpool star ready to quit after agreed cash-plus-player deal involving £75m winger revealed

News of an aborted cash-plus-player deal that would have seen Liverpool and Newcastle trade Joe Gomez and Anthony Gordon has emerged, though various reports state both players could still move.

As the PSR deadline approached on June 30, Newcastle were scrambling to offload players to balance the books.

The Magpies offered livewire winger Anthony Gordon to Liverpool and the Reds showed serious interest in bringing the former Everton man back to Merseyside.

However, a move did not materialise, with Newcastle instead meeting their financial needs by selling Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest (£35m) and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton (£33m).

According to a fresh update from the Daily Mail, Gordon’s potential switch to Anfield was far more advanced than many believed at the time.

They state Newcastle initially offered both Gordon and striker Alexander Isak to Liverpool and quoted £100m price tags for the pair.

After Liverpool balked at the figures, Newcastle dropped their demands for Gordon to £80m and latterly £75m.

Liverpool looked favourably on signing Gordon for £75m, though Newcastle were insistent on bringing a player the other way.

Interest in centre-back Jarell Quansah was quickly shut down by Arne Slot and co. However, Liverpool reportedly gave the greenlight to offloading Joe Gomez as part of the deal.

Liverpool would have paid £75m for Gordon and received £45m for Gomez. In effect, the transfer would have been Gomez plus £30m in exchange for Gordon.

Per the Mail, both players were open to the move and talks between the club were advanced. Indeed, medicals were even scheduled for the pair.

However, with the PSR deadline fast approaching at the time, Newcastle solved their financial conundrum by other means when selling Anderson and Minteh. The end result saw the Gomez/Gordon switch shelved.

Gomez open to leaving; Liverpool still chasing Gordon

But the report states the story might not end there with regards to Gomez. They state the 27-year-old – who is Liverpool’s longest serving player having joined all the way back in 2015 – ‘is open minded about seeking a new challenge in his quest for regular first-team football.’

Gomez did rack up a healthy 51 appearances across all competitions last season – the most he’s ever made in a Liverpool shirt.

However, the versatile defender was only afforded that many outings due to an unrelenting injury crisis that ravaged Liverpool’s season from first game to last.

Furthermore, when everyone in Liverpool’s rearguard is fit, Gomez does not have a place in the eleven.

As such, Gomez may yet be on the move if Newcastle or any other club thunder in with a suitable bid.

Gordon too could yet wind up at Anfield, with the player widely reported to have been keen in the extreme to sign with Liverpool in June.

Adding further fuel to the fire is Fabrizio Romano’s claims that Liverpool chiefs are fully convinced Gordon can become a superstar at Anfield.

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Liverpool convinced by Gordon… but will they pay?

Taking to YouTube on Tuesday, the trusted transfer guru confirmed Liverpool retain strong and concrete interest in Gordon. The Reds are exploring an addition in wide areas this window and Gordon is high on their shortlist.

“What’s important to say is that if Liverpool decide to [make a signing] on the offensive positions, Anthony Gordon remains a player they really rate, they really like,” said Romano.

“And so internally they are discussing about the situation of Gordon because they keep believing he could be a fantastic player for the future of Liverpool.

“But again the problem could be in valuation with Newcastle because he’s a really important player for Newcastle and they have no intention of [selling] for a ‘normal price.’

“It has to be a big price for him in order for Newcastle to give the potential green light.”

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