Transfer: Liverpool sign Cody Gakpo in £44m deal from PSV

Dutch forward Cody Gakpo has been acquired by Liverpool from PSV for a reported fee of up to £44 million in add-ons.

Gakpo, who scored three goals for the Netherlands at the World Cup and has 12 goals this season across all competitions for PSV, has been officially confirmed by the Reds. He will join a Liverpool attack that is currently missing Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, and Luis Diaz due to injuries; the Reds were compelled to act quickly for the player due to rival clubs’ interest in him as well as their own concerns about his fitness.

Gakpo has long been a target for Klopp, and the club’s leadership is thought to have reached an agreement on the transfer in just three days of negotiations with PSV over Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day.

As things stand, Liverpool is outside the top four picture and wants to match any potential January spending by rivals Chelsea and Newcastle. Gakpo has now joined their ranks on what is thought to be a contract that lasts until 2028.

Cody Gakpo’s club statement

 “I feel really good, I’m really excited to be here,” Gakpo said in a club statement. “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.”

Gakpo could be used by Jurgen Klopp as a No. 10, a striker, or off the left wing. This analysis of the recent addition to Anfield shows his complete set of options.

When Gakpo makes his debut, he will be the first Dutch attacker to play for Liverpool in a Premier League game since Dirk Kuyt.

The 23-year-old will try to play as soon as he is officially registered, but the Reds are reluctant to throw him into the mix right away after his World Cup performance.

Although it’s too early to set a concrete timeline for his acclimation to the team, Liverpool is hopeful that he can pick up the pace quickly enough to start on January 21 against Chelsea.