By Betsefy
PSV Eindhoven have confirmed that they have come to an agreement with Liverpool for the transfer of Cody Gakpo.
On Monday evening, news broke of Jurgen Klopp‘s side closing in on the signing of the in-demand 23-year-old, who has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United.
The Red Devils tried and failed to sign Gakpo in the summer, and they were expected to reignite their interest in the January window as they search for Cristiano Ronaldo‘s successor.
Southampton and Leeds United were also pushing to win the race for Gakpo in the most recent transfer window, and he has been expected to depart the Philips Stadion in 2023.
Following reports of Liverpool reaching an agreement to sign Gakpo, PSV have now confirmed that the Netherlands attacker will make the switch to Anfield in January for a club-record fee.
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“PSV and Liverpool FC 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,” a statement read.
“Both clubs are not making any announcements about the transfer fee. ‘But this is a record transfer for PSV,’ said general manager Marcel Brands. The PSV management completed the negotiations on Boxing Day and gave Gakpo permission to travel to England.”
PSV’s current record sale is Hirving Lozano, who left for Napoli in 2019 for a fee of €45m (£39.7m), but Liverpool could apparently pay up to £50m to prise Gakpo away from the Eredivisie giants.
A separate update from journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that the Reds will pay an upfront fee of £37m and a potential £13m in performance-related add-ons, and the attacker could undergo his medical tomorrow.
Gakpo has spent 15 years at PSV since joining their youth academy in 2007, and he has gone on to register 55 goals and 50 assists in 159 appearances for Ruud van Nistelrooy‘s men.
© Reuters
The 23-year-old has amassed an impressive 13 goals and 17 assists from 24 outings in all competitions this season, and he has won one Eredivisie title, one KNVB-Beker and two Dutch Super Cups at senior level.
Gakpo’s exploits at club level earned him a place in the Netherlands’ squad for the World Cup, where he helped his country reach the quarter-finals with three goals in five starts.
The Dutchman will arrive at Anfield to compete with Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz for attacking starts, although the latter three are currently out injured.
Jota and Diaz – who suffered a setback in Dubai and has now undergone surgery – are still some weeks away from returning from their calf and knee injuries respectively, leading Klopp to deploy Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain alongside Salah and Nunez up top for Monday’s Premier League game with Aston Villa.
Goals from Salah, Virgil van Dijk and 18-year-old midfielder Stefan Bajcetic saw the Reds record a 3-1 win at Villa Park just a few hours before Gakpo’s transfer was confirmed.
