Official: Liverpool confirm Cody Gakpo deal as shirt number announced

Posted Thursday, December 29, 2022 by 101 GREAT GOALS

Liverpool have confirmed the signing of 23-year-old winger Cody Gakpo for a fee thought to be worth up to £45m, with the Dutchman set to join the club officially on January 1st.

The attacker, who can play anywhere across the front 3, caught the eye last season and had been linked with Arsenal and Manchester United over the summer transfer window.

Since then, he has hit new heights, recording an astonishing nine goals and 12 assists in just 13 Eredivisie appearances, while he also managed three goals and two assists in five Europa League outings to date, helping PSV out of their group alongside Arsenal.

He carried this form into the World Cup too, scoring in all three of the Netherlands’ group stage games to help them to a quarter-final berth, leaving speculation around his future to grow by the day amid Manchester United’s hunt for a striker.

However, it was Jurgen Klopp’s side that pounced instead, with Liverpool agreeing a fee worth around £37m up front and potentially rising to £45m with add-ons.

Gakpo will join an exciting attacking core at Anfield, which already boasts Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Roberto Firmino, and to which the returning Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz will be added when they return from injury in February and March respectively.

Liverpool Football Club have reached an agreement for the transfer of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven, subject to a work permit.

The 23-year-old forward will officially become a Reds player at the start of the January transfer window after agreeing personal terms and successfully completing a medical at the AXA Training Centre.

Gakpo arrives on the back of an impressive World Cup showing with the Netherlands, netting three goals in five appearances, starring alongside Virgil van Dijk in helping their country reach the quarter-final stage.

Gakpo added to Liverpoolfc.com: “I feel really good, I’m really excited to be here. I’m looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club.

“I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years.

“I think for me personally it’s also good to develop here and there’s a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from.”

He added: “I’m really looking forward to [playing at Anfield]. I heard a lot of great stories about the stadium, about the atmosphere. I cannot wait.

“Obviously [my aim is] to win as many prizes as we can as a team, to perform well, to show the world what we can do as a team and what I can do as a player. And personally, just to keep developing and become a better player every season.

“I’m really thankful that everybody is giving me such a warm welcome and I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody in the stadium and around the city.”

Gakpo will wear the number 18 shirt for his new club.

It begins what is expected to be a busy January for the Reds, with a midfielder also thought to be on Klopp’s wishlist before the January 31st deadline as he looks to help his side recover from a poor season start.