Cody Gakpo: Tottenham's Major Summer Target Amid Liverpool Standoff
Tottenham are watching Cody Gakpo closely, sensing an opportunity in a market where Liverpool are desperate to protect their attacking core while plotting life after Mohamed Salah.
Standard Sport understands Spurs admire the Dutch forward and have lined him up as a serious option for the left wing, with the added bonus that he can operate as a No9. For now, though, there is a stand-off: Tottenham’s interest is real, but there have been no formal talks with Liverpool.
On Merseyside, the message is firm. Liverpool have no plans to sell. Their focus is on securing a replacement for Salah, and Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola sits at the top of their wish list. The France international is reportedly valued at around £145million, a figure that underlines both Liverpool’s ambition and the scale of the rebuild they are contemplating.
That is where the tension lies. To fund a move for a player of Barcola’s price bracket, Liverpool may eventually have to listen to offers. Caught Offside report that Gakpo is open to joining Spurs if the clubs can agree a fee. Football Insider have suggested Liverpool would want around £70m for the 25-year-old, though it is unclear whether the Reds will soften their stance as the window wears on.
Tottenham, under Roberto De Zerbi, are not behaving like a club content with a quiet summer. They have already spent £237m and brought in six new faces, yet the head coach has made it clear he is nowhere near finished, insisting the club’s transfer work is only about 60 per cent complete. He wants at least two or three more signings before the deadline.
A winger is high on that list. Potentially another striker too. Gakpo neatly ticks both boxes, a versatile forward who can stretch defences from the left or lead the line if required. For a manager who prizes fluid, interchanging attacks, that profile is gold dust.
So the equation is simple and complicated all at once: Spurs want Gakpo, Gakpo is open to Spurs, Liverpool do not want to sell and yet are chasing a £145m winger. Something, somewhere, may have to give before the window shuts.
