Transfer news: Tottenham plot club-record move for Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo
Transfer news: Spurs fans had a bit of a shock on Friday morning. According to CaughtOffside, Tottenham have thrown their hat into the ring for Cody Gakpo with a monstrous €70m package. They are leading the chase. Mind you, Newcastle and Bayern Munich are sniffing around too, keeping a very close eye on the Dutch forward, though neither has actually put a formal bid on the table yet.
Life under De Zerbi
Liverpool aren’t completely shutting down the idea of a sale, either. The word is that real talks won’t even kick off until Gakpo finishes his World Cup duties with the Netherlands. Mid-tournament negotiations are a total nightmare, so that makes sense. Gakpo isn’t throwing a tantrum or demanding an exit. There is a load of noise coming out of the Dutch media claiming he wants out following Arne Slot’s sacking, but that feels wide of the mark. He only signed his current Anfield deal at the start of this season. Because of that, Liverpool hold all the cards, and he will not come cheap.
Right, let’s look at the reality here. Is this actually going to happen? For €70m? Absolutely not. Liverpool rarely bin off players who have just signed a fresh contract. Gakpo had a patchy campaign last term, sure, but the talent is massive. And under a new manager like Iraola, he has plenty to offer. Spurs will probably have to cough up closer to €85m or €90m to get Liverpool to open the door. Even then, why would Gakpo leave? It feels like a lateral move at best. Tottenham are coming off consecutive 17th-place finishes, which is dreadful. He will want guaranteed European football and real ambition.
Then you have Arsenal. Sitting this one out is a smart play from Mikel Arteta. Gabriel Martinelli had a bit of a dip in form, but Gakpo isn’t moving the needle. He isn’t an upgrade. Besides, the market has better left-sided options this summer anyway. Morgan Rogers is out there. Blowing a massive wedge of cash on a bloke Liverpool view as a squad player is just bad business for a team trying to win titles. Let Spurs chase this one.