Manchester City Pursue Cody Gakpo as Winger Hunt Intensifies

Manchester City have turned their attention to Cody Gakpo as the champions scramble for a new winger in the final days of the transfer window, with the Liverpool forward now firmly on their radar, according to ESPN.

The Etihad hierarchy have made enquiries about the Dutchman’s potential availability, using intermediaries to gauge whether a deal is even realistic at this late stage. City have not yet gone as far as opening formal talks with Liverpool or lodging a bid, but Gakpo’s name is now central to their attacking discussions.

The need is urgent. Savinho’s move to Tottenham has ripped a hole in Pep Guardiola’s wide options and left City short of depth for a season that could again stretch into every competition available. They want a winger who can score, create and rotate across the front line. Gakpo has just reminded everyone he can do exactly that, starting and scoring in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle.

Liverpool, though, have dug in. All summer, the message from Anfield has been clear: Gakpo is not for sale. That stance could soften only under one condition – if the club manage to bring in attacking reinforcements of their own before the window slams shut.

Behind the scenes, the Reds are pushing hard. Talks remain active with Paris Saint-Germain over Bradley Barcola as they look to freshen up their forward line. At the same time, Liverpool have already seen two bids knocked back by Brighton & Hove Albion for winger Yankuba Minteh, a player they view as a longer-term project but one who could free up room in the squad if he arrives.

Should Liverpool finally land one or both of their targets, the dynamic changes. City would sense a rare opening to tempt Gakpo away, but they would have to move with speed and conviction. Tottenham are already in the frame and have shown concrete interest in the Netherlands international this summer, setting up the possibility of a straight fight between two of England’s heavyweights.

Gakpo is not the only wide player under consideration at City. Chelsea winger Pedro Neto is among the alternatives being discussed as the club weigh cost, availability and fit. City have already added one attacking piece, agreeing a €40 million (£34m) deal for Brazilian forward Allan from Palmeiras on Monday, but the feeling internally is that at least one more signing is required to keep the front line at title-winning depth.

The rebuild does not stop in attack.

Midfield has become an even more pressing concern. Nico Gonzalez is closing in on a move to Newcastle, another high-profile departure from a City engine room that has been stripped bare in a single window. Gonzalez is set to follow Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders out of the Etihad, a remarkable exodus that has forced City into aggressive, high-end recruitment.

To stem that flow, the club have already pushed through a blockbuster deal for Ayyoub Bouaddi. The Morocco international has arrived in Manchester to formally complete his €100m switch from Lille, a statement signing designed to anchor the next version of City’s midfield.

Even that might not be the end of it. Enzo Fernandez remains a live topic in City’s recruitment meetings, with the Chelsea star’s situation in London being watched closely as deadline day creeps closer. Any movement there would rank among the biggest deals of the window and would further reshape a midfield already undergoing major surgery.

For now, though, the eyes at the Etihad keep drifting back to the wings. As the clock ticks down, City’s pursuit of a new wide forward will not ease. Gakpo sits near the top of that list, a potential late-window coup if Liverpool’s own transfer dominoes start to fall in time.