Liverpool have confirmed the signing of PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo in a deal worth €50million (£44m).
It was revealed on Boxing Day that the two clubs had come to an agreement for Gakpo’s sale, before the forward put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League outfit, passing his medical without a hitch.
There had been interest from a number of English teams – with rivals Man United also scoping out a potential deal – but the Merseyside club emerged victorious in their chase for the 23-year-old after acting swiftly to secure the deal.
Liverpool have confirmed the £44million signing of PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo
Jurgen Klopp’s side struck a deal on Boxing Day before finalising a move throughout the week
Gakpo told the Liverpool website: ‘I feel really good, I’m really excited to be here. I’m looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club.
‘I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years.
‘I think for me personally it’s also good to develop here and there’s a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from.’
He added: ‘I’m really looking forward to [playing at Anfield]. I heard a lot of great stories about the stadium, about the atmosphere. I cannot wait.
Gakpo scored three goals for his national side during their World Cup campaign in Qatar
‘Obviously [my aim is] to win as many prizes as we can as a team, to perform well, to show the world what we can do as a team and what I can do as a player. And personally, just to keep developing and become a better player every season.
‘I’m really thankful that everybody is giving me such a warm welcome and I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody in the stadium and around the city.’
The forward has been in scintillating form for his domestic side this year and has already contributed nine goals and 12 assists from 14 Eredivisie matches this term.
The 23-year-old’s signing comes amid concerns over Luis Diaz’s injury – following his knee surgery – while Darwin Nunez is struggling to find his rhythm up-front.
On Boxing Day, PSV confirmed in a statement that a club-record deal had been struck between the two sides for Gakpo’s move.
PSV confirmed that a club-record deal for the forward had been struck on Boxing Day
In a statement on Twitter, PSV 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.’
Man United had been considered favourites to sign Gakpo but missed out, after they were reduced to looking at loan deals owing to the Glazers looking to sell the club.
The 23-year-old even admitted he was hopeful that a move to Old Trafford would materialise in summer, however an approach was never made by the Red Devils.
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United had their attempts to sign Gakpo hijacked by Liverpool
Asked about missing out on a transfer to the Premier League in the summer, Gakpo told Dutch newspaper outlet NRC: ‘That was a tough period. I learned from that.
‘What comes, that comes. Suppose you want to go from RKC (Waalwijk) to PSV, but that club is not coming. Then you can panic.
‘I thought about Manchester United, but when that didn’t happen, I couldn’t remember. And I started to doubt. Leeds United did come. Should I go there?’
‘Now I wait for everything. I haven’t heard from Manchester United yet. When they come, I’ll think about it. I also seek the help of God in these decisions.’
Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s dramatic departure from United, Gakpo had seemed to be a likely signing however the club opted against a move for the forward.
The winger has notched 13 goals and 17 assists in all competitions for Eredivisie side PSV
Gakpo gave an honest account on his desires on a move to Man United during the summer
Gakpo previously had offers from Leeds and Southampton last summer but chose to stay at PSV after the Dutch club rejected the subsequent offers.
Leeds offered £25m plus add-ons for Gakpo during the summer window but it was rejected with PSV believing the add-ons were unrealistic.
Leeds boss Jesse Marsch claimed that the deal to bring Gakpo to west Yorkshire was ‘99.9 per cent’ complete during the summer window – but the move collapsed.
The 23-year old had chosen to wait for offers from clubs contending in the Champions League and despite the pull of United’s Erik Ten Hag, Liverpool fit the bill.
Gakpo was ‘99.9 per cent’ on the way to Leeds before he opted to stay at PSV, claims Marsch
Sportsmail revealed on Tuesday that his Holland team-mate Virgil van Dijk, reportedly made a key phone call to convince Gakpo to join Liverpool, with the defender calling for new signings just hours before the news broke.
At the World Cup, where skilful forward Gakpo impressed with three goals, Van Dijk said the 23-year-old ‘could go to the moon and back’ with his career given that he ‘has so much potential.’
Van Dijk had hinted at the idea that Liverpool needed fresh faces during his post-match interview against Aston Villa.
Speaking after the 3-1 victory, van Dijk said: ‘Hopefully the injured players can come back soon, and hopefully we can welcome some new players at our football club.’
The Merseyside club have agreed a deal worth £44million to sign Holland star Cody Gakpo (L)
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