It was a fax that left John W Henry reeling.
No sooner had the derisory £40million and one pound offer arrive from Arsenal for Luis Suarez, the Reds' principal owner offered what has now become a classic riposte.
"What do you think they're smoking over there at Emirates?" came the now infamous retort from the Liverpool chief.
It was a response that was unsurprisingly well received by Liverpool fans who were determined not to see their club taken advantage of in the shark-infested waters of the transfer market.
But it was still a worrying prospect for supporters to stomach.
In July 2013, the Reds were seen as a soft touch. For years their top stars had come and gone for pastures new, continually leaving the club in a worse state for their exit.
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Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres had all moved in years previous, leaving Liverpool's reputation in a place where even a club like Arsenal felt emboldened to test the Reds' resolve.
The £1 addition to an apparent buyout clause in Suarez's contract was a controversial move that was probably viewed at Anfield as a slap in the face.
The Reds were very much seen as fertile ground in the transfer market six years ago, as clubs with more to offer both on and off the pitch circled on a seemingly annual basis.
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Arsenal's laughable attempts to ruffle Liverpool's hair en route to snaring their best player fell flat, but even the fact they attempted such a brazen swoop told you all about where the Reds stood in the food chain.
For years, Liverpool were powerless to halt a talent drain that forced them to rebuild time and again following the sales of star men.
Suarez would eventually leave in 2014 before Raheem Sterling joined him out the exit door 12 months later.
In 2019, Henry - or anyone else connected to Liverpool's hierarchy, for that matter - is not expected to field any unwanted correspondence for any of the club's key men.
Liverpool are an entirely different proposition heading into the summer transfer window .
The Reds' continued ascent under Jurgen Klopp ensures they now operate at the very top end of the market.
Alisson Becker, Naby Keita and Fabinho were all brought to the club for fees over £40m last year, while Virgil van Dijk remains the world's most expensive defender at £75m.
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Gone are the days when their top stars would be cherry-picked with Philippe Coutinho's January 2018 exit surely the last high-profile departure for some time at the club.
The Reds will no longer be bullied or muscled out in their attempts to recruit and keep the best players in the world at Anfield.
And perhaps, maybe, Liverpool can develop something of a ruthless streak of their own as they seek to become Premier League champions next season.
The transfer window has now entered the collective conscious, and while the Reds have a certain game in Madrid on June 1 on the horizon, work will no doubt be ongoing behind the scenes to help bolster Klopp's options for another crack at the Holy Grail.
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Six years ago, that Arsenal fax proved that Liverpool were the prey - the work of FSG, Michael Edwards and Klopp has consigned that to history.
With the window set to open for the summer this week, Liverpool have rarely been better placed to now become the predator.