Manchester United decided against signing PSV forward Cody Gakpo with the Dutch international completing his move to Premier League rivals Liverpool.
After Luis Diaz suffered an injury setback, Liverpool turned their attention to the January transfer window. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed to CaughtOffside via his Substack column that Liverpool have completed the signing of Gakpo on a deal keeping him at the club until 2028.
Gakpo was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, particularly during the summer transfer window, but it now appears that Liverpool have won the race.
Romano has now confirmed that Manchester United have had the chance to sign Gakpo for a long time now, but opted against signing a winger.
“Manchester United had the chance to sign Cody Gakpo for a long time, but they never made any bid or negotiation with PSV. The talks were only between agents and never club-to-club. Erik ten Hag had his name on his list but Manchester United decided not to make a £40m bid for a winger in January.
I’m told Manchester United want a striker, not a winger. They will decide with Erik ten Hag. They’ve held conversations with Jorge Mendes as with other English clubs about Joao Felix but it’s not their only option.”
With Cristiano Ronaldo out the door and Marcus Rashford in fine form playing off the left-hand side of a front three, prioritising a striker would be a smart move for Manchester United.
Missing out on Gakpo isn’t a huge deal for United, with the 23-year-old more comfortable playing off the left, where Erik ten Hag has plenty of options.