Liverpool transfer news: Reds to make tempting player-plus-cash Anthony Gordon bid?

Liverpool are reportedly ready to test the waters with a fresh player-plus-cash offer for Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon.

The Reds are known to be admirers of Gordon, who began his youth career at Anfield before crossing the Merseyside divide to join the academy of Everton at the age of 11.

Gordon went on to make 78 senior appearances across a six-year spell with the Toffees, before completing a £45m transfer to Newcastle in January 2023, and he has since established himself as a first-team star under manager Eddie Howe.

The winger scored 12 goals and providing 11 assists in 48 appearances in his first full season as a Magpies player in 2023-24 and was subsequently named the club’s Player of the Year.

Gordon is currently away on international duty with England at Euro 2024, but speculation over his club future has been rife in recent weeks.

© Imago

Liverpool to include Kelleher in Gordon swap deal?

A recent report claims that Newcastle were ready to sell Gordon to Liverpool last week and had proposed a player-plus-cash swap deal involving Reds defender Jarell Quansah.

Although a medical in Leipzig was said to have been booked for Gordon ahead of a proposed switch to Liverpool, the Merseysiders were reluctant to accept Newcastle’s proposal as they did not want to see 21-year-old Quansah head in the opposite direction.

Talks between both clubs subsequently broke down, but they seem to have been revived, as TEAMtalk claims that Liverpool are prepared to submit an offer of £50m and also include backup goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to sweeten the deal.

The Reds are said to value Kelleher between £25m and £35m, meaning the total value of their proposal for Gordon would be worth between £75m and £85m.

Kelleher is widely expected to seek pastures new this summer in search of regular first-team football having spent a number of years playing second fiddle to Liverpool’s first-choice shot-stopper Alisson Becker.

© Reuters

What does the future hold for Anthony Gordon?

Newcastle’s readiness to sell Gordon was due to the club’s financial predicament which put them under pressure to generate funds and make sufficient sales before the June 30 deadline to avoid breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

The Magpies have since announced that both Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh have completed permanent transfers to Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively, with Howe’s side said to have recouped in excess of £65m.

This means that Newcastle are likely to have avoided the risk of a possible points deduction for next season and are not pressured to make more quickfire sales of players including Gordon.

Newcastle would ideally like to keep hold of Gordon and it remains to be seen whether they would be tempted by Liverpool new offer including Kelleher, considering they have just announced the signing of Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, who is set to compete for starts with Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka.

Gordon is believed to be happy at Newcastle and still has two years remaining on his contract at St James’ Park.

ID:547141:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6493: