With Cody Gakpo’s Liverpool future up in the air right up until the end of the summer transfer window, journalist David Ornstein has dropped a huge update.
Gakpo has been linked with a move to Manchester City in recent days, with Fabrizio Romano talking up an agreement between the Reds and their Premier League rivals:
“Talking about the Cody Gakpo situation, the agreement is done. Cody Gakpo and Manchester City have an agreement on the contract, all set already. Manchester City have also sent an £85m bid to Liverpool. Liverpool will only accept if they get the right winger before the end of the deadline. Otherwise, they will keep Cody Gakpo.
“So this is the domino now. Who is the winger they want? At the moment, the favourite, more than Yankuba Minteh, is Ismaila Sarr. Ismaila Sarr is the favourite candidate.”
But now, The Athletic‘s Ornstein has said that Gakpo is staying at Liverpool beyond the summer after the City rumour cooled, providing the update on X on Monday:
“BREAKING: Cody Gakpo to stay at Liverpool. Manchester City had £75m + £5m bid rejected by LFC & pursuit over – confirmed between all sides in direct communication. MCFC now fully focused on attempting to sign Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea.”
Cody Gakpo staying at Liverpool: The preferred outcome?
Seeing Gakpo leave Liverpool wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but in a summer that has already seen Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson depart, losing another experienced head wouldn’t be ideal.
The Dutchman shouldn’t be seen as a guaranteed starter for the Reds, especially with Bradley Barcola completely his big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain on Monday, but he can continue to be an excellent squad player for Andoni Iraola, providing a threat across the attack.
It’s now a case of seeing if Liverpool actually sign a right winger to fully replace Salah, with Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh and Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr linked of late.
For now, it looks as though Barcola may be the Reds’ final addition of the summer, which would feel negligent, considering a new right-back and midfielder haven’t been brought in at all.