Anthony Gordon to Liverpool transfer latest as fresh claim made over Newcastle concern

If the surface appears calm at Liverpool in the fledgling weeks of the summer transfer window, last week's Anthony Gordon proposal from Newcastle United is evidence of some bubbling up underneath.

The Reds are yet to take the plunge of any kind so far, with Calvin Ramsay's loan move to Wigan Athletic being the only completed deal of an era that has launched softly since new head coach Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes officially began their roles on June 1.

That might have changed last week when Newcastle's struggles to become compliant with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules led to them floating the shock idea of offloading Gordon to Liverpool, whose admiration for the Kirkdale-born winger has been growing steadily during his time with the Magpies.

At the age of 23 and with over 200 senior appearances already under his belt, England international Gordon and his vast potential appeals generally to those who make the key decisions at Anfield, even more so given he would aid the home-grown issue.

The former Everton wideman has become one of the stars of a Newcastle team who, while labouring to a seventh-place finish last term, were undercut hugely by injuries to key performers at St James' Park. With 11 goals and 10 assists, he was an integral part of the setup under Eddie Howe and is now able to boast Champions League experience having played in all six games last term before their elimination from the 'group of death' that contained AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and eventual runners-up Borussia Dortmund.

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It was even reported that a medical had been booked for Gordon in Leipzig had the two clubs reached an agreement and while such a deal would have contravened Gareth Southgate's general stance of maintaining full focus on England matters for his European Championship squad, the winger would have been permitted to use the facilities had there been a breakthrough.

As it transpired, Liverpool felt they were already well stocked in that area of the pitch with Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez all able to operate off the left of the front three. That spot, more than any other in the Reds' squad with the exception of central midfield, is the most congested.

Despite eventually keeping Gordon and managing to offload Yankuba Minteh to Brighton and Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest for a combined fee of around £65m, it was reported in The Athletic on Monday that there is some concern inside the Newcastle camp now that their winger's head has been turned by Liverpool's interest and despite having made himself a Premier League player across Stanley Park at Everton, the 23-year-old has made little secret of his admiration of Anfield of late.

Having recently talked up Steven Gerrard as one of his boyhood heroes, Gordon also lavished praise on the Anfield atmosphere last month in a video recorded on England duty. Asked about the best stadium he has played in for a Tik Tok video, Gordon says: "Other than St. James' Park, it's Anfield by far. I think because I'm from the city, it's probably like I grew up watching it. But I just think before the game when they sing You'll Never Walk Alone, it's top, top level."

Having had a taste of Champions League football, the chance to experience it once more at a club he is said to have grown up supporting appeals to Gordon and that's before Newcastle's admittedly reluctant willingness to use him as something of a sacrificial lamb over PSR worries is factored into the player's thinking going forward. It was essentially an admission from Newcastle to Gordon himself that he is an expendable component, despite his importance.

The chance of sign Gordon this weekend might have represented something of an opportunistic deal for Liverpool outside of their wider plans for the coming window and beyond under Arne Slot but this is a subplot that could yet run and run, even if snaring the England winger at a knock-down, PSR-impacted cost has now passed.

A second key sticking point for Liverpool last week when Gordon was presented was Newcastle's insistence that Jarell Quansah be included in any deal that could be struck between the clubs. Newcastle were always uneasy with having to lose one of their major stars to begin with but Anfield officials had zero intention of listening to anything that would see their defender head to the North East as a makeweight.

Quansah's breakout campaign has taken him to the fringes of the England squad and he ended his maiden term in the Premier League as first choice alongside Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool see him as a potential cornerstone of the team for the coming years.

It's insisted no offer was ever made but much of what happens with Gordon, from Liverpool's perspective now, could yet hinge on Luis Diaz's future. There is no appetite to sell the Colombia international from inside the club itself but interest from Barcelona has been repeatedly spoken about on the pages of Catalan media in recent months. Paris Saint-Germain were also cited as a potential destination but they look set to replace Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe with Georgian hero Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli.

Speaking last week Barcelona president Joan Laporta appeared to play down speculation of big-money arrivals at the Camp Nou this summer as their cost-cutting measures continue after years of financial mismanagement. "Just as we don’t need to make a big sale, we don’t think we need big signings either," Laporta said. "Maybe a midfielder, maybe a wide player, but we also have players in the youth team who can occupy these positions."

Despite the Reds belief that they have ample top-level coverage on the left side of the attack, it is telling that the new-look regime at Anfield continues to be linked with a whole host of wide forwards and wingers.

Leeds United's Crysencio Summerville, Johan Bakayoko at PSV Eindhoven and Juventus star Federico Chiesa are just three who have been named by various media across Europe, while Athletic Club's Nico Williams is another. The Spain international has lit up this summer's Euros so far and with a reported buyout clause of around €58m (£50m), interest is likely to be intense for a 21-year-old who appears to have a huge future.

The release clause appears relatively meagre by modern prices for a player of vast potential and his best years in front of him. "I've just renewed my contract with Athletic," Williams said on June 23. "I'm very comfortable at Athletic, I'm very happy. I've just renewed, so it's very strange they keep asking me these things."

Liverpool are adamant their options up top, particularly on the left side are fulsome with a variety of skill sets in the ranks but the ongoing links to wide attackers does intrigue as Slot prepares to whip his players into the shape ahead of a campaign that will see Champions League football return to the agenda.

While the Europa League - which is commonly viewed as the continent's secondary tournament - afforded Jurgen Klopp more of an opportunity to rest and rotate ahead of Premier League action, the Champions League will be more difficult to do so due to the increased quality of opposition, so increased competition for places will be no bad thing for the coming term.

Perhaps it is on the right side where Liverpool are thinking of making a significant addition to their squad? While Slot has a number of players capable of performing with distinction on the left side, Mohamed Salah has operated in a class of his own for years now on Merseyside with Harvey Elliott deployed as the Egyptian's deputy on an ad-hoc basis by Klopp last term.

Elliott came to prominence as a 16-year-old at Fulham in that role but recent years have seen him transformed into more of a right-sided central midfielder and while there is an acceptance that Salah's output can't be replicated by any understudy given his immense contribution these past seven years, it can also be argued there is no-one to naturally fill the spot whenever it might be decided the now 32-year-old is in need of a rest.

As pre-season begins at the AXA Training Centre this week, it remains all quiet on the transfer front, but evidently there are quite a few moving parts behind the scenes.