Gakpo arrives in England for Liverpool medical ahead of move from PSV


Liverpool reached an agreement to sign Cody Gakpo for a fee between £35m and £45m from PSV; Man Utd had shown interest in Gakpo in the summer before pursuing a deal for Antony from Ajax; Southampton had an offer rejected for the 23-year-old in the summer.

On Boxing Day, the Dutch club announced Liverpool had reached an agreement to sign Gakpo for a fee between £35m and £45m.

A PSV statement on Monday said: "PSV and LFC have reached an agreement on the proposed transfer of Cody Gakpo.

"The 23-year-old attacker will leave for England imminently, where he will be subjected to the necessary formalities ahead of the completion of the transfer."

Liverpool's rivals Manchester United were interested in Gakpo in the summer, when they instead signed Antony from Ajax, but reports suggested they were considering a move for the Netherlands international in the upcoming January transfer window.

United boss Erik ten Hag wants to sign a forward in January following Cristiano Ronaldo's exit, saying: "We are aware we lost a striker, so I think we have to get a striker in, but it has to be the right one."

Gakpo's stock increased at the World Cup with three goals in five appearances before the Netherlands were knocked out at the quarter-final stage on penalties to Argentina.

Before PSV released their statement, it was understood Liverpool were in advanced talks with the Dutch side about the transfer as they looked to bring in another attacking player following long-term injuries to Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota.

The transfer window opens on Sunday January 1 for clubs in England and Scotland and if all the necessary paperwork is completed then Gakpo could be in line for a Liverpool debut on January 2, live on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports at Brentford.

Premier League rules require completed documents by midday of the last working day before a match. This season, January 1 and January 2 are considered working days.

During the World Cup, Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal said "Cody Gakpo has everything it takes to become a star" and the forward certainly looks like he is on the fast track to the top of the game after backing up his brilliant Eredivisie form in Qatar.

A goal in each group stage game - one with his head, one with his left foot and one with his right foot - was testament to his rapidly improving play in the final third, appetite for the big stage and versatility. His standout performances for Van Gaal came as a centre forward or No 10 that drifted to the right. At PSV he has shone as a left winger, cutting inside.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jurgen Klopp confident in Darwin Nunez’s return for Liverpool’s match with Wolves

Image
Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez and centre-back Ibrahima Konate are in contention to return for the home game against Wolves. Nunez missed Saturday’s goalless draw at Crystal Palace with a shoulder problem but trained fully yesterday and, providing there is no reaction, looks set to go straight back into the side. Konate has been out for a month with a hamstring problem but is also back with the squad. “Joe Gomez is out. Ibou (Konate) trained yesterday completely normal and Darwin as well. Then we will see,” said manager Jurgen Klopp. “Darwin we have to see. It looked absolutely OK yesterday, but we have to see how he reacts. Thiago (Alcantara) is in rehab. Luis (Diaz) I watched half-an-hour of rehab session on the pitch, doing shooting, moving. (He looked) really good but not in team training yet.”
Read more

Jude Bellingham to Liverpool transfer: Deal 'close' for England World Cup star

Image
Former Birmingham City star Jude Bellingham is reportedly “very close” to signing for Liverpool in the summer, following his impressive displays for England at the World Cup. The 19-year-old has already established himself as one of the best midfielders in world football, two-and-a-half years after St. Andrew’s for £25m. Bellingham has starred for Gareth Southgate’s side in Qatar and has long been touted with a move to Liverpool , as well as Real Madrid, PSG and Manchester City. Blues could be set for a windfall if Bellingham does seal a transfer in the summer, with The Athletic reporting that the club are in for 'at least' 5% of any profit, though Blues are yet to confirm an exact figure. Here is a round-up of what’s been said about the midfielder’s future: German journalist Christian Falk, head of football at SportBILD, has given an update on Liverpool’s interest in the Borussia Dortmund man. The Reds were initially interested in the teenager when he was at Blues, but eventua...
Read more

Liverpool can replace two players with signing of midfielder they've been linked with before

Image
If Liverpool’s midfield is not already in greater need of investment than it ever has been before, it soon will be. The Reds are the only club in the Premier League who haven’t had a single minute from midfielders aged between 22 and 28 this season. If that peak age vacuum wasn’t bad enough, three of the current options are out of contract at the end of this season, while Arthur Melo’s injury makes it all-but-certain his option to buy will not be invoked at the conclusion of his loan spell either. As for the soon-to-be-Bosman players, if James Milner moves on then the veteran will not be overly missed in the sense he rarely starts back-to-back games anymore. But what of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain? They are Liverpool’s closest to prime age midfielders yet have played just 15 Premier League minutes between them this season (with Keita yet to feature at all). With records like that, and injuries having been a fairly constant issue for both players during their time with the Re...
Read more