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PSV now want £50m for Leeds United target Cody Gakpo as Manchester United schedule talks
Manchester United are reportedly set to hold talks with PSV Eindhoven in the coming days to sign Cody Gakpo after Leeds United failed in their attempt to bring him to Elland Road in the summer.
According to a report from The Daily Mail (8 Dec, page 73), Gakpo, 23, is emerging as a top target for United who are looking to add a new goalscorer after Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit.
Gakpo has scored three goals in the World Cup in Qatar and his value has increased. PSV now want a fee of around £50m for him, while United are looking to strike a deal for a fee of around £40m.
The Dutch side rejected an offer of £26m, plus £11m in bonuses from Leeds in the summer, with the player opting to stay and gaining more game time in Netherlands, a move that has paid dividends.
Move on
Gakpo has admitted that (in an interview with NRC, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano) he hasn’t heard anything from United as yet and that he had doubts about moving to Elland Road when the offer came in during the summer.
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The entire saga is hugely frustrating for the Whites, and they must move on from Gakpo now. He came very close to joining the Yorkshire club, as revealed by Jesse Marsch recently [Men in Blazers podcast; 2 December], but it just didn’t happen.
Gakpo has been one of the standout performers at the Qatar World Cup, and his value has skyrocketed as a result.
He has been outstanding for PSV this season, scoring 15 goals in all competitions. The Dutch club ideally should look to sell him next summer, but they also understand that his stock will be high next month.
For Leeds, he will be out of their reach in January. There’s no point wasting time on him, as other heavyweight clubs can not only match PSV’s asking price but can offer him massive weekly wages as well.
Leeds need to add a quality attacker in the January window, and Marsch needs to look for options elsewhere.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are now scouting an attacker at the World Cup and a January move appears to be on the cards for them.