Cody Gakpo is expected to leave PSV Eindhoven in January. In recent months, Manchester United has taken the lead in the hunt for the rising star.
Long before Cristiano Ronaldo’s much more recent departure from Old Trafford, Gakpo was one of the first players emphasised by manager Erik Ten Hag.
Although no agreement has been reached and PSV are willing to speak with any interested parties, United are still very much in the running. Gakpo had a successful World Cup in Qatar with the Netherlands, helping the Oranje advance to the quarterfinals. 90min is aware that there are others who are interested in Gakpo.
The record transfer fee for Gakpo, which would be more than the €45 million they received for Hirving Lozano when he joined Napoli in 2019, has now also been confirmed by PSV director of football Marcel Brands.
“You have to be realistic. When you talk about Cody’s price tag, how many European clubs are able to buy a player of his calibre? Maybe ten or twelve clubs? You just need a player in that position and then also be able and willing to spend the money in January. We just have to see if it all happens,” Brands explained at a PSV fans’ event on Monday evening.
“It must be a record transfer for PSV anyway, so then you know which direction it is going. More than €40m in any case,” he added.
“We have to see if it will all happen. In the media it seems like all clubs are lining up, but the reality is that we are not yet aware of any interest. Cody is going on vacation now. If there was something going on, it might be known to Cody or his management. However, nothing is known to us.”
In the final minutes of the summer transfer window, Southampton and Leeds both tried to pry Gakpo away from PSV. The player recently acknowledged that he “thought about” moving to Manchester United during the summer and would consider doing so should an offer come in now.