Anthony Gordon's perfect Liverpool shirt number available amid transfer links

Liverpool could have an extra sweetener up their sleeve as they look to get a deal for Anthony Gordon over the line.

The Newcastle and England forward has been linked with the Reds throughout the summer. A £75million transfer looked set to go ahead in June, only for the Magpies to pull out of the deal ahead of the June 30 Profit & Sustainability Rules deadline.

Having previously said Newcastle may need to sell players to comply with financial rules, CEO Darren Eales confirmed in July that the club had remained within spending regulations, having offloaded Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton. Talk of the former Everton man returning to Merseyside hasn’t gone away though as new Liverpool boss Arne Slot looks to strengthen the squad he inherited from Jurgen Klopp.

It has even been suggested that the Reds could swoop for Gordon before the start of the new season, let alone before the August 30 transfer deadline. Slot’s side visit newly-promoted Ipswich on Saturday, August 17.

It’s a borderline decision for both player and club, but Liverpool could have a trump card in the shape of the squad number Gordon wore at Everton, 24, for two seasons before switching to number 10, the number he also donned at Newcastle last season. Liverpool's 24 shirt is available and hasn’t been used since 2021.

However, Gordon has been urged to snub a return to Merseyside and remain on Tyneside by pundit Chris Sutton, who says the 23-year-old should look to build on the progress he has made under Eddie Howe.

“I heard these Anthony Gordon rumours a few months ago and was left scratching my head a little bit,” Sutton told Best Online Poker Sites.  “First and foremost, I don’t know how Newcastle fans would feel about selling the player.

“The way Gordon was at Everton, I wasn’t the only person who questioned whether he had the right temperament. But in fairness to him, he’s gone to Newcastle to work under Eddie Howe and he’s knuckled down. Last season he was brilliant and performed really well. He produced his best form.

“If I was him, I wouldn’t be in a rush to leave Howe and Newcastle. The fans there really took to him - he felt the love from the Geordies. He seemed to have a really good relationship with the manager too which is key.”