Manchester City’s proposed £80m move for Cody Gakpo is on the brink of collapse, with Liverpool set to keep the Netherlands forward after rejecting a bid worth an initial £75m plus £5m in add-ons and failing to land the replacement winger that would have unlocked the sale.
City had received encouragement that Gakpo, 27, was open to the move, and talks between the clubs gathered pace over the weekend with Liverpool valuing the forward at £85m. But Anfield sources were consistent throughout: Gakpo would only be allowed to leave if a replacement arrived first. With Tuesday’s deadline approaching and no winger secured, all parties have now spoken directly to confirm the deal is effectively off.
Gakpo started Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest at Anfield, supplying the low cross from the right that Alexander Isak converted for Liverpool’s equaliser. Six days earlier he had curled in a 20-yard finish at St James’ Park in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle. For a player supposedly on his way out, he has been among Andoni Iraola’s more reliable performers.
Why the deal stalled
Liverpool completed the £123m signing of France forward Bradley Barcola from Paris St-Germain on Monday, but the club never regarded that as the deal that freed up Gakpo. Barcola was earmarked as an addition, not a straight swap, and the recruitment team wanted a second attacking option in the building before sanctioning a departure.
Two targets were pursued and both stalled on price:
- Yankuba Minteh, with Brighton holding firm on a valuation Liverpool considered excessive for a squad addition
- Ismaila Sarr, where Crystal Palace’s asking price proved similarly prohibitive so late in the window
That left the chain broken. Liverpool were not prepared to sell an established Premier League forward with 51 goals in all competitions since arriving from PSV in January 2023 and leave Iraola a body short in the wide areas, particularly with the manager still searching for his first league win.
Virgil van Dijk had made his position public before the Forest game. “Obviously it’s pretty clear that I want him to stay, not only because he is the quality player that he is, but also because he’s a friend of mine and I think he will be very important for us,” the captain said. “He’s a quality player, and I think we should keep quality players, but let’s see what the next three days bring.”
City pivot to Ndiaye
Enzo Maresca’s side have not been idle in response. City have agreed a deal with Everton for Iliman Ndiaye worth an initial £60m rising to £65m, with the Senegal international granted permission to complete a medical and the transfer expected to be finalised on Tuesday. Ndiaye scored 17 goals in 74 appearances across three seasons at Goodison and its successor, and had earlier been expected to join Tottenham.
The urgency is not manufactured. City sold both Savinho and Omar Marmoush to Spurs last week, stripping two senior options from a forward line that had already been reshaped over the summer. A deal with Palmeiras for Brazilian winger Allan is also agreed, and City have been linked with a late move for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez. Losing out on Gakpo turns Ndiaye from an alternative into a necessity.
What it means from here
For Liverpool, keeping Gakpo is not the worst outcome of a chaotic window. He has 33 goals in 129 league appearances, offers cover across the front three, and arrives at the international break having scored three times for the Netherlands at the World Cup before their round-of-32 exit to Morocco on penalties. A squad that has added Barcola, Isak and the £34.5m Victor Munoz is deep in attacking talent, and Iraola has drawn his opening two league games — a record that does not invite further subtraction.
The awkwardness is that Gakpo now stays having been publicly priced, briefed about and, by several accounts, willing to go. Liverpool have handled that situation before with Mohamed Salah in 2022 and Luis Diaz’s protracted exit talk, and the club will point to Van Dijk’s intervention as evidence the dressing room wants him. Contract talks are the obvious next question; a player who knows a domestic rival was willing to pay £80m for him carries a different kind of leverage into any negotiation.
Unless Liverpool revive a winger deal in the final hours, Gakpo will be a Liverpool player when the window shuts. City, meanwhile, will have paid £65m for a forward who was not their first choice.
Sources: [TSN](https://www.tsn.ca/soccer/article/report-gakpos-move-to-city-hits-dead-end/), [Yahoo Sports](https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/man-citys-80m-move-gakpo-165350214.html), [ESPN – City talks for Gakpo](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49764998/man-city-transfer-talks-liverpool-cody-gakpo-sources), [ESPN – City agree Ndiaye deal](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49784920/manchester-city-reach-agreement-everton-ndiaye), [Sky Sports – Liverpool 2-2 Forest](https://www.skysports.com/football/liverpool-vs-nottingham-forest/report/559460), [ESPN – Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool](https://www.espn.com/soccer/match/_/gameId/401879319/liverpool-newcastle-united), [Sports Mole – Van Dijk quotes](https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/liverpool/transfer-talk/news/i-want-him-to-stay-virgil-van-dijks-plea-in-the-closing-days-of-the-window_604120.html)
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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