Liverpool have reached agreement with PSV for the transfer of Gody Gakpo, hijacking Manchester United’s pursuit of the PSV Eindhoven forward.
The Reds reportedly concluded talks with the Dutch giant on Monday night immediately after their 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park.
The new development will be a significant blow to Manchester United’s pursuit of the Dutch striker, as they have now fallen out of their attempt to sign the forward.
The Red Devils had talks win PSV Eindhoven long before Liverpool suddenly hijacked the deal.
While talks between the Old Trafford club and the Eredivisie giant were ongoing, it was confirmed that Manchester United were yet to reach an agreement and were not making an offer to PSV to that effect.
The Reds utilized the advantage of no financial offer by Manchester United to hijack the deal by immediately meeting PSV’s £45million demand for Gody Gakpo.
PSV confirmed the completion of the deal with Liverpool on the club’s Twitter handle. They wrote;
‘PSV and @LFC have reached an agreement on the proposed transfer of Cody Gakpo. The 23-year-old attacker will leave for England imminently, where he will be subjected to the necessary formalities ahead of the completion of the transfer.’
While Manchester United were keen on signing the highly-rated forward, Daily Mail reports that Manchester United were vying for loan deals in January as the Glazers close in on their plan to exit the club.
This was another hurdle that impeded drastic moves that would have sealed the deal for Gody Gakpo, leaving the door open for their Premier League arch-rivals Liverpool to break in and hijack the deal.
Meanwhile, Manchester United and Liverpool were not the only clubs interested in signing Gody Gakpo. According to reports, there was interest from other Premier League clubs, such as Southampton and Leeds.
Gody Gakpo would have landed either at Elland Road or Saint Mary’s Stadium, but PSV reportedly turned down offers for the player last summer.
Also, Gody Gakpo was keen on moving to a club with Champions League football. Manchester United are playing in the Europa League, but a possible deal for Gody Gakpo was not ruled out, given the club’s pedigree and the influence of Erik Ten Hag. But that is now a forgone attempt.
From all indications, Gody Gakpo will be a significant addition to the Reds squad, with Luis Diaz struggling with injury while Darwin Nunez has not lived up to the bidding since arriving for £85million from Benfica.
While PSV rejected Leeds’ £25milllion offer for Gody Gakpo last summer, Manchester United were considered a clear and unrivaled favorite to sign Gody Gakpo, but uncertainties over the amount of funds that will be available for the club due to Glazers’ sale decision hindered the Red Devils’ pace on the deal.
Meanwhile, Man United fans are furious about the club’s lackluster pace on the Gakpo deal, allowing Liverpool to hijack the deal.
Taking to Twitter, one user wrote, “mehn Man United scouting team is so useless.”
Another user wrote, “if anything, Man United should learn how to conduct transfer business from Liverpool and Chelsea? Swift under the radar and without stupid, never ending transfer sagas.
