Newcastle United and Liverpool were ready to deal in a player-exchange before the Toon found buyers for two fringe players, it has been revealed.
The Liverpool Echo says the two clubs actually had an agreement for Gordon.
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Newcastle were ready to buy Reds defender Joe Gomez, 27, for £45m, while Liverpool would pay £75m for Gordon.
Everything was settled, but in the end, Newcastle chose to back out of the swap agreement as they managed to sell fringe pair Yankuba Minteh (Brighton) and Elliott Anderson (Nottingham Forest) to meet the demands of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules.
Newcastle have not progressed their interest for Gomez following the collapse of the deal, but Liverpool's pursuit of Gordon remains.
However, Newcastle are now insisting Liverpool will have to go over £100m to sign the winger.