By Pranav Shahaney

17th Sep, 2022 | 9:11pm

PSV chief Marcel Brands issues clarification on Leeds United pursuit of Cody Gakpo

Leeds United and any other club failed to reach the lower limit of what PSV had set for Cody Gakpo this summer, claims Marcel Brands.

The director of football claims that even if Leeds had offered the right amount late on in the window, the in-demand Dutch international would still stay at the club.

As per Eindhovens Dagblad journalist Rik Elfrink [16 September], the Whites had submitted a £37.3million bid that was turned down by the Eredivisie outfit.

Speaking to Voetbal Primeur, Brands said, “I even think Cody would not have left at the end of the transfer period if the right amount had been offered.

“There has been no bid that approached the lower limit of what we agreed with Cody.”

Try again

There certainly will be plenty of regrets in Elland Road that they failed to land a big-name player like Gakpo – who undoubtedly would’ve been one of the biggest signings in the club’s history.

It would also shatter the club’s transfer record and send a message to the rest of the league that Leeds are a club on the rise.

However, despite not signing him in the summer window, Leeds will have another chance to secure his services in January.

Should he go on to have a good World Cup, more teams will want him so things might get tricky, but the least Leeds and Victor Orta can do is try.

They did not get Bamba Dieng either and maybe Willy Gnonto is too young to be a regular first-team player while Gakpo is someone who can drive this team to the next level.

Hopefully, he’s a player who remains on the club’s radar in the coming months as his signing would excite the fanbase just as much as it would excite the manager and players.

In other Leeds United news, the Whites have reached an agreement to sign a left-back, according to his agent.