Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United are still keen on signing PSV Eindhoven’s £43.6 million star Cody Gakpo after holding ‘secret’ talks in the summer.
Gakpo was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford this past summer and Romano has confirmed that Man Utd held ‘secret’ talks with PSV and the player over a potential move. The Dutch giants wanted £43.6m [€50m] including add-ons, but the the Red Devils ended up buying Antony from Ajax instead.
However, Romano says United remain interested in signing Gakpo as they consider him to be a ‘top, top talent’. PSV would ideally like to keep hold of the attacker until the end of the season but the situation is ‘open’ with several other teams throughout Europe also interested.
PSV director Marcel Brands recently told ESPN (via teamtalk) that Leeds submitted an offer for Gakpo but didn’t meet the £43.6 million (€50 million) asking price, while he also confirmed United’s interest in the player:
“Leeds United offered €30million with €11m as a bonus,” Brands said. “Six of them were to be payed if Leeds reached the Champions League.
“People said and wrote a lot about this, but no one within the organisation of PSV wanted to accept this.
“If United offered the money that we wanted to have for Cody, then we would’ve sold him. You can not stop him then. With bonuses we wanted to go up until €50m.”
Brands, however, has thrown Liverpool into the mix saying that he would rather see the 23-year-old join the Reds over their old rivals, the Red Devils. He continued:
“Liverpool is a club that is always very focused. Sometimes they get players for the next season in November.
“Would they be a good partner to send Gakpo in the summer? Yes, that’s right.”
Therefore, Manchester United could well end up suffering a blow if Brands gets his way and Liverpool manage to sign Gakpo this winter. PSV have resigned to the fact that Gakpo will leave the club and Brands has also revealed that there is an agreement in place with the player’s camp over his potential departure. He continued:
“An agreement has been made with Cody and his management, we cannot ignore that.
“It is not a clause, but if the right club offers the right amount, then it is an option. Whether we already have an adequate replacement in mind? Of course there are always lists of names that we look at.”
Our View
Gakpo has been in sensational form this season, netting 13 goals and assisting 17 times in his 23 appearances for the club. Therefore it is no surprise to hear that many elite European clubs have been tracking him.
Liverpool have been tentatively linked with Gakpo in the media and Brands seems keen to send the Dutchman to Anfield, but it remains to be seen whether Jurgen Klopp opts to formalise their interest and try and hijack Man Utd’s attempts to sign him.
Liverpool and United are expected to be active in the market this winter and Gakpo would be a terrific signing for either club. Gakpo can play anywhere across the frontline and can drop in to midfield to play the role of a creator, if needed.
The proposed price of £43.6m seems reasonable for a player of his quality, however, we’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming months as PSV will be reluctant to do business mid-season.
