Alan Shearer wanted to join Liverpool in 2004 and Gerard Houllier was 'convinced that the deal was done'.
Those are the explosive claims of former Liverpool assistant manager Phil Thompson who says the Newcastle United legend had told Houllier he wanted to leave St James' Park.
Shearer, of course, is a boyhood Newcastle fan who went on to become his hometown club's record goalscorer.
He is still adored to this day by United fans after his goal-laden 10-year stay on Tyneside but things could well have turned out differently.
During their well-publicised spat last year, former Newcastle and England team-mate Michael Owen questioned Shearer's loyalty to Newcastle as he tweeted: "(I'm) Not sure you are as loyal to Newcastle as you make out mate.
"I distinctly remember you being inches away from signing for Liverpool after Sir Bobby Robson put you on the bench. You tried everything to get out."
Reports at the time claimed it was instead Robson who was seeking a move for Shearer due to a clause in his contract meaning his wage had to be increased to remain the club's highest earner, which prevented Newcastle from signing more high profile players.
However, Thompson has backed up Owen's quotes and claims Shearer, who would end up signing a new two-year deal at Newcastle, told him and Houllier that he wasn't just using Liverpool to get a new deal on Tyneside.
"Gerard came to me and said ‘we can sign Alan Shearer and he wants to come to us’," Thompson told Paddy Power's From The Horses Mouth podcast.
"I said I thought he was using us – because I knew he wanted a new contract at Newcastle.
"Gerard said he’d spoken to Shearer, who told him he wanted to come to Liverpool. He was convinced that the deal was done.
"So Rick Parry (former Liverpool CEO) went to Newcastle, asking for first refusal if he became available. They absolutely s**t themselves. The very next day, Alan signs a new contract – he got the two years he asked for.
"I’m in Gerard’s office, and who comes in on the phone? Alan Shearer. Gerard puts it on conference call so I can hear, and the first words out of Alan’s mouth were: ‘I didn’t just use you to get a new contract at Newcastle, you know?’
"Michael Owen fell out with Shearer years later, and Michael always used that incident against him."
Phil Thompson was talking on Paddy Power’s podcast, From The Horse’s Mouth, which you can listen to at podfollow.com/horsesmouth.
