Cody Gakpo opened his Premier League account for the new season with a crucial second-half strike at St. James’ Park on Sunday.
Liverpool trailed Newcastle United after Anthony Elanga put the hosts ahead, but Gakpo levelled the score in the 55th minute.
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Newcastle regained the lead through Joe Willock before Dominik Szoboszlai rescued a point from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time, sealing a 2-2 draw.
New Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola praised Gakpo’s start to life under him ahead of the Newcastle fixture.
“Cody is doing really well,” Iraola said.
“I think he has been very good from the first day of training and understands everything we expect from him in his position. You notice it immediately when you talk to him, he understands the game. He is very smart and he was one of our best players in pre-season. He is performing very well indeed.”
That form has not gone unnoticed elsewhere in the Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a new offer for Gakpo after Liverpool rejected their opening bid of around £60 million.
Spurs made their first approach recently, and Liverpool turned it down without hesitation with reports suggesting that Tottenham have no intention of dropping their interest and are working on an improved proposal.
Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi is reported to be a strong advocate for signing Gakpo and has pushed internally for a renewed attempt to sign him from Liverpool.
Liverpool’s position has not changed. The club is under no pressure to sell and will only consider an offer if the fee is highly attractive.
Liverpool are also also working to bring in a forward of their own before letting Gakpo leave, with Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain and Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh among the candidates under consideration.
Manchester City have now entered the picture as well.
According to Soccernews, City have made their interest in Gakpo known directly to the player, though the club has not yet officially approached Liverpool.
That contact could still happen before the transfer window closes. The Premier League deadline falls on Tuesday, September 1 at 23:00, and City are reportedly considering reaching out to Liverpool over a possible deal in that period, per Soccernews.
Gakpo is not viewed at City as a guaranteed starter, according to the report. He would instead be expected to add depth and competition to the squad, a different role to the leading part Tottenham are said to have in mind for him.
With Tottenham working on a revised bid and Manchester City now circling, Liverpool face growing competition for Gakpo’s signature in the closing stretch of the transfer window.
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