As reported by the Daily Express, the Manchester United board have been lured by Cody Gakpo‘s World Cup exploits and the club is prepared for a move to the Premier League.
The Netherlands striker has scored three goals in three group-stage games at the competition in Qatar. He has been one of the standout players in the competition thus far, and his goals have helped the Netherlands qualify for the round of 16.
Erik ten Hag sought Gakpo during the summer transfer window, but United decided against making a move after spending a lot of money on players like Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, and Antony.
Following the mutual termination of Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract, Ten Hag is still pressuring United to sign the player, and he had hoped Gakpo’s performance at the World Cup would influence the club’s decision-makers to support his assessment of yet another possible addition. It’s known that United has been impressed with what they have seen thus far from the PSV Eindhoven forward.
United are less strong offensively than they were at the beginning of the season after Ronaldo left, and they already had issues there given Anthony Martial’s injury woes. Ten Hag likes the fact that Gakpo is a flexible forward who can play in a variety of places. Given his performances thus far this season, United will likely have to pay the 23-year-old between €10 and €15 million more than they could have in the summer, but they are reportedly continuing with their typical transfer strategy despite the fact that the club is up for sale.
Ten Hag will need stronger choices to help United reach its ongoing goal of making the Champions League, particularly in the wake of Ronaldo’s departure.
In January, PSV is prepared to let their top player leave the Philips Stadion. They probably won’t be able to decline a significant cash offer after missing out on the Champions League group stages at the beginning of the season.
In the summer, Gakpo was pursued by teams like Leeds and Southampton in addition to United, but he declined the offers after the United option fell through. United is being urged by Ten Hag to complete the transfer this time.
Gakpo has been on fire for PSV this season in the Dutch Eredivisie, scoring nine goals and dishing out 12 assists in the league’s first 14 games.
