Romano reveals how much Man City are ‘set to bid’ for Cody Gakpo after ‘agreement’ with player
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Fabrizio Romano has revealed how much Manchester City are reportedly prepared to offer for Cody Gakpo as they aim to execute a headline-grabbing raid on Liverpool for the winger.The Athletic reported on Saturday that the 27-year-old has decided to join Enzo Maresca’s side, with all parties now in talks to reach an agreement for the transfer to proceed, and he’s opted against joining long-time suitors Tottenham Hotspur.The Dutchman’s prospective exit from Anfield comes at the same time that the Reds close in on the marquee signing of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain which could ultimately rise to £123m, making him our second most expensive acquisition of all time.Man City ‘set to bid’ £85m for GakpoLate on Saturday night, Romano took to X with an update on Gakpo’s situation as Man City prepare to step up their pursuit of the forward in the form of an official offer.He posted: ‘Manchester City are set to bid for £85m package to sign Cody Gakpo after the agreement with player’s camp. MCFC stepping up efforts to get the deal done as exclusively revealed tonight.
City wait for Liverpool to approve sale when they find replacement.’ (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustSelling Gakpo would make Liverpool weakerSome may argue that it’d be impossible for the Reds to turn down £85m for a player they signed for an initial £37m (potentially rising to £44m, via The Athletic) in December 2022, especially when he’s already 27 and theoretically unlikely to elicit a much higher resale value from hereon.However, from a footballing perspective, selling one of our most in-form players to a domestic rival with less than 72 hours remaining in the transfer window is near-impossible to comprehend, especially when Andoni Iraola has openly declared that he needs a bigger squad.Gakpo has begun the season excellently, scoring in the 2-2 draw at Newcastle last week and providing a brilliant assist for Alexander Isak to equalise against Nottingham Forest yesterday, with the Dutchman putting the struggles of last term firmly behind him.Barcola might be an automatic selection on the left flank once his imminent move from PSG is confirmed, but Liverpool’s number 18 has proven capable of playing anywhere across the forward line, impressing on the right against Oliver Glasner’s team on Saturday.In our opinion, there is a place for both of them at Anfield, rather than the arrival of one automatically having to prompt the other’s exit.
Unfortunately, if Gakpo has decided that he wants to join Man City, there probably isn’t a whole lot more the Reds could do to sway him.This feels like a prospective transfer which could leave LFC with a ton of regrets.