Chelsea and Manchester United were also weighing up bids for PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo before Liverpool “pounced”, according to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein.
The trusted journalist claims the speed at which the Reds moved to secure the player’s signature allowed them to steal a march on their Premier League rivals:
🚨 Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven. Fee €40-50m. #NED international will travel to England for medical + to seal switch. Man Utd & Chelsea considered 23yo but he chose #LFC + they pounced @TheAthleticFC #MUFC #CFC https://t.co/Qvy9E1Mr3V
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) December 26, 2022
It is believed that Gakpo will join for an initial fee of £37m, with add-ons set to take the final figure up to £50m if he proves to be a success on Merseyside.
The injuries sustained by Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and (more recently) Roberto Firmino have pushed Liverpool towards recruiting another forward in January.
Gakpo favours playing off the left wing, which is also the preferred position of Diaz and Jota, so it will be interesting to see how manager Jurgen Klopp makes use of his options when they are all fit again later in the season.