Victor Orta has been blamed for Leeds United not signing PSV star Cody Gakpo due to the director of football playing hardball over the transfer.
PSV Director, John de Jong, has angrily hit out at Leeds over suggestions that Cody Gakpo changed his mind about joining Leeds on Transfer Deadline Day, insisting that the Premier League club’s offer fell short of their asking price.
The Dutch club were willing to sell the highly rated winger this summer but only if that asking price was met and according to De Jong, Orta was playing hardball.
Sources state that personal terms had already been agreed between Leeds and Gakpo and that the paperwork was ready to be signed. However, the 23-year-old had a last-minute change of heart after talking with the Netherlands’ national team boss, Louis van Gaal.
Speaking to PSV TV, De Jong insists that this was not the case and that the offer on the table was not sufficient to warrant selling one of their best players.
The PSV director attributes the failed transfer down to Orta not being willing to pay their asking price and that’s why the highly rated youngster is not in a Leeds shirt right now.