Man City have moved on quickly after Liverpool rejected their £80 million bid for Cody Gakpo by hijacking Tottenham‘s move for Iliman Ndiaye.
Liverpool rebuffed the offer worth an initial £75 million and a further £5 million in add-ons and ended talks for Gakpo, having failed to find a breakthrough for a replacement.
There remained the possibility of a deal being revived if the Reds were successful in any negotiations before the deadline, but that is now off the cards.
As per The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, City have reached an agreement in principle with Everton for Ndiaye worth £65 million, after hijacking Tottenham‘s pursuit of the 26-year-old.
Tottenham and Everton had also reached an agreement for Ndiaye on Sunday, with a separate arrangement for Richarlison to return to Merseyside.
Spurs are now seeking to move ahead with a loan for Chelsea‘s Mykhailo Mudryk having also pursued Gakpo before he chose City as his preferred destination over the weekend.
It leaves the two main protagonists for Gakpo’s signature pursuing alternative deals, leaving the Dutchman to remain at Anfield until at least January.
Reports earlier on Monday afternoon claimed the Reds had a second bid for Ismaila Sarr rejected by Crystal Palace, while there remained little encouragement from Brighton over Yankuba Minteh.
It ultimately had a knock-on effect as Liverpool were not in a position to accept a bid for Gakpo if a replacement could not be lined up before Tuesday evening’s deadline.
It will leave Andoni Iraola with Bradley Barcola, Gakpo, Victor Munoz, Rio Ngumoha, Federico Chiesa, and Lewis Koumas as his wide options, with Alexander Isak the lone centre-forward while Hugo Ekitike recovers.
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NEW YORK, USA - Wednesday, July 29, 2026: Liverpool's Harvey Elliott before a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Wrexham AFC at Yankee Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NEW YORK, USA - Wednesday, July 29, 2026: Liverpool's Harvey Elliott before a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Wrexham AFC at Yankee Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
With Gakpo to remain at Anfield, there is unlikely to be any advancement for Sarr or Minteh, and other departments have not been the priority this summer.
After the announcement of Bradley Barcola‘s deal on Monday, The Times‘ Paul Joyce stated that the Frenchman is currently “likely to be Liverpool’s final signing of the transfer window.”
It would leave Jeremy Jacquet – who was signed in January – Victor Munoz, Ronald Araujo and Barcola as the only senior additions this summer.
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Liverpool, however, are expected to confirm deals for Saint-Etienne’s versatile forward Djylian N’Guessan, and a £30 million deal for Genk goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans.
They are both due to arrive in 2027, though the latter could move this summer if a significant offer for Giorgi Mamardashvili is received before the deadline.
On the outgoing front, Harvey Elliott is due to complete a loan to Valencia, and Keyrol Figueroa is among the youth options who could find a temporary home for 2026/27.
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1 circle collage (44)