Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven striker Cody Gakpo have agreed to a deal worth an initial £37 million, which may increase to £50 million with add-ons. The move is expected to be completed in January.
Leeds and Southampton were interested in Gakpo throughout the summer, but Manchester United had the upper hand until Liverpool stepped in.
- Liverpool reach agreement for Man Utd target Cody Gakpo
The player had a breakout campaign with PSV in 2021/22, scoring 21 times in all competitions. So far this season, he has been directly involved in 30 goals (12 goals, 17 assists) in 30 club appearances. He also found the net three times for the Netherlands at the World Cup.
Gakpo, who was a major reason why PSV tore Premier League leaders Arsenal to pieces in a Europa League game in October, has primarily played on the left flank at club level. But he showed versatility by operating centrally as either a ‘number nine’ or ‘number 10’ at the World Cup.
His best chance of joining Liverpool is on the left, where Luis Diaz is now injured and won’t likely return until March.
Which Liverpool jersey number will Cody Gakpo wear?
Gakpo is already connected to a few jersey numbers, but none of them are available for him at Liverpool because they are all already taken.
Gakpo has claimed PSV’s number 11 as his own since 2021. It is Mohamed Salah’s at Liverpool. At the World Cup, he wore the number eight, which Naby Keita currently wears at Anfield. The midfielder also made himself known at PSV while sporting the number 19, which belonged to Harvey Elliott in Merseyside.
Additionally, Gakpo has been known to wear both nine and seven for the Netherlands, neither of which are now available possibilities at Liverpool.
Gakpo will be setting a new personal record as he has never worn any of the realistic shirt numbers at Liverpool, which are 12, 16, 18, 24, and 25.
Joe Gomez relinquished the number 12 in the summer when he went to number 2, while Takumi Minamino, a January recruit who has since gone, wore the number 18 instead. Curiously, no one has worn 25 since Pepe Reina finished his career with Liverpool in 2013.
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