Tranquillo Barnetta's representative in Britain has opened the door to a possible Liverpool switch this summer after reacting angrily to an offer made by Newcastle.
The Swiss international midfielder has been linked with a move to St. James' Park for several weeks now, with the Toon's interest thought to have intensified after Joey Barton was placed on the transfer list.
However, an offer from the Magpies of less money than the player currently earns with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga has been met with a firm rejection from Barry McIntosh.
"As it stands there is not a hope in hell that he will be going to Newcastle. In fact I am angry at their attempts to do it, and behind my back also," he told skysports.com.
"They have made an approach, but their offer equates to somewhere in the region of £40,000-a-week - which is just ridiculous. Why on earth would Tranquilo move to Newcastle for less money?
"No offence to Newcastle, he would possibly consider going to Arsenal, Liverpool even Tottenham for less - but not Newcastle.
"They have known all along, what it would take to land Barnetta and what he is earning now, and this sort of offer really does border on ridiculous."
The 26-year-old, who usually plays on the wing, has earned 59 caps for his country after making his debut in 2004.
A move to Liverpool this summer would appear unlikely though, with the Reds already spending heavily to reinforce their midfield.
Kenny Dalglish has drafted in Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Ashley Young at Anfield, with the trio joining skipper Steven Gerrard, Brazilian international Lucas and a handful of other players fighting for a starting spot at Liverpool.
Despite the statement, it's also unknown if the Liverpool boss has any interest in the former Hannover 96 loanee, and a move to Newcastle would still appear to be the most likely move despite the statement from his representative.
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