Newcastle had "agreed everything" with Hugo Ekitike when he was plying his trade for Eintracht Frankfurt, before Liverpool swooped in and won the race to sign him. The Magpies were left disappointed by numerous failed pursuits throughout the summer but had secured a club-record agreement with the German outfit to land their striker. Super-agent Ali Barat was facilitating the transfer and was on the verge of completing his move.
Nevertheless, Liverpool's 11th-hour intervention in the negotiations enabled them to pip Newcastle for Ekitike's signature, with the forward making an impressive start to life at Anfield. The Frenchman found the net in his opening three competitive appearances, including one in the dramatic victory at St James' Park.
Losing out on the 23-year-old represented another setback for Eddie Howe during the summer window, with a 10-day negotiation process ultimately collapsing despite all key elements being finalised.
Super-agent Ali Barat revealed to TuttoSport: "Hugo Ekitike, I was working on behalf of Eintracht Frankfurt to bring him to Newcastle.
"I stayed in Germany for 10 days. We agreed everything with the German club and the player, then Liverpool called him and he chose Anfield."
For the latest breaking stories and headlines, sign up to our Daily Express transfer newsletter.
Newcastle had targeted Ekitike while Alexander Isak remained part of their squad, with intentions to deploy both forwards together. Liverpool eventually secured the striker in a £79million deal - though only after their original bid for Isak had been rejected.
Howe was open about his desire to bring the French player to his team, aiming to bolster his attacking options after missing out on Joao Pedro and Bryan Mbeumo.
He recently stated: "I think there's no doubting that I really like Hugo and have done for a number of years. He's someone that we've tracked for a long time."
Ekitike's similarity to Isak was a major attraction for Newcastle, but they had to shift their focus elsewhere. They faced another disappointment when they attempted to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig first, prompting Manchester United to do the same, with the striker ultimately choosing the Red Devils over Newcastle.
However, Howe did manage to secure some success in the transfer market during the final week of the window. Nick Woltemade arrived from Stuttgart in a record-breaking deal for the club, and he was later joined by Yoane Wissa.
Newcastle had been pursuing the Brentford striker for weeks and finally secured his signature on deadline day.