Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Liverpool

‘As soon as I heard’ – Cody Gakpo explains Man Utd transfer talks before Liverpool move

Cody Gakpo was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer of 2022 but a deal failed to materialise and, six months later, he signed for Liverpool.

Liverpool ace Cody Gakpo has opened up on his talks with Manchester United and manager Erik ten Hag before moving to Anfield. Gakpo moved to Merseyside in January 2023 in a deal worth around $45m (£37m/€41m) and has scored 18 times for Liverpool in all competitions.

 

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

He had been linked with United in the summer transfer window before that, having caught Ten Hag’s eye while playing for PSV Eindhoven. United instead opted to pay big money for winger Antony with Gakpo spending the first half of last season in Holland before joining Liverpool.

 

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s win over Nottingham Forest, the 24-year-old reflected on the interest from Old Trafford and why he knew Liverpool was the right club for him as he mulled over his future. 

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“It was the summer before, I was in contact with the club and the manager — he’s Dutch so I spoke to him as well. At the end of the day it fell through, that’s it, and in the winter Liverpool came. It was the best decision for me,” Gakpo told Sky Sports.

 

“I spoke to Ruud Van Nistelrooy a lot about United in the summer when the transfer looked like it may be coming. But in the winter, not really. It was Ruud’s wish that I went to a big club — and I think I have achieved that with Liverpool. There was a lot of speculation in the summer. It was the first window where it was possible to move and so, yes, it affected me a little bit.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

 

“There was one moment when I just said, ‘forget about it, play your best game, and maybe it will happen next summer or in the winter’. That’s what I tried to do and it went well.”

 

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Talking about how quickly things moved with Liverpool, Gakpo added: “I heard about Liverpool’s interest — and I think five days later the deal was done. My manager and brother knew about it for a longer time, but I said to them at the World Cup not to tell me anything because I have to focus.” 

“As soon as I heard about the interest, the feeling was, ‘come on, let’s go’. You have a second Christmas Day? Boxing Day, right? I was with the family — including nieces and aunties — and I was getting calls all the time about Liverpool. But on Christmas Day, I was not on my phone. That is a very important day so the phone was away. It was the very next day that it happened.”

 

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Things could have worked out very differently for Gakpo had United made a move in the summer of 2022. Fortunately for Liverpool, that bid never materialized and he completed his move to Anfield a few months later. The Dutchman has really stepped up to the plate in recent weeks and will have a big role to play in the final months of the season.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

NFL

‎ The New England Patriots are gearing up for a crucial offseason, with the combine and free agency on the horizon. In this article,...

NFL

It has been a couple of weeks since the Cleveland Browns ended their season with a 3-14 record. The best thing the Browns had...

NFL

In this new development, Maye is facing criticism for not attending Mike Vrabel’s introductory press conference as the new head coach of the New...

NFL

The New England Patriots finished the 2024 season with a 4-13 record, giving them one of the worst records in the NFL and putting...

Advertisement