(Football news) Cody Gakpo’s transfer to Liverpool has been secured from PSV Eindhoven for a fee of £35m-£45m. The 23 year old underwent a medical on Wednesday afternoon and has agreed a deal until 2028 with the transfer subject to a work permit. He will officially join Liverpool on January 1st when the transfer window opens and could potentially make his debut on January 2nd against Brentford. The Reds were not in the market for a forward originally, but injuries to Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz meant that they were forced to make a move.

Gakpo was heavily linked to Manchester United in the summer but the Red Devils signed Antony instead for £100 million from Ajax and were considering a move for the Dutch forward in January. The 23 year old is a versatile attacking player who can play across the front three and has had an impressive 2022 World Cup campaign, scoring three goals in five appearances. Gakpo hasn’t trained much since the World Cup and Jurgen Klopp will hope to integrate him into the first team as soon as possible so that he can make his debut with the Reds.

“There is a lot to like about Cody. He is still only 23 years old but he already has a lot of experience. He was the captain of PSV, he was the Player of the Year in Holland last season and, as a lot of people have just seen, he also had a great World Cup with his national team.

“So, it is clear that he is already a really, really good player but his age also means he also has the potential to become even better. Offensively, he is very versatile and on top of this we know he is a smart footballer and also a smart person, so we are really excited to be able to work with him.”

Jurgen Klopp to liverpoolfc.com

“We spoke a lot over the phone [in] the last few days. What he told me was that this is the right move for me to make and for me to develop and to become a better player, that the club is a really big and massive club but also like a real family — I think that’s also very important for me because I’m a family guy. He said only good things. I’m also happy that he’s here, so he can help me with some stuff. I’m really grateful to be here.”

Gakpo on Virgil van Dijk’s role in his move

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