Netherlands winger and reported Arsenal and Liverpool target Cody Gakpo could soon be worth £70 million if the Premier League-linked winger continues to shine at the Qatar World Cup, Dutch legend Wesley Sneijder tells De Telegraaf.
What must Erik Ten Hag have been thinking? As the Netherlands finally ground down a hard-working Senegal outfit, the sight of Frenkie de Jong setting up Cody Gakpo’s opener with 84 minutes on the clock must have sparked a flurry of emotions in Manchester United’s Dutch coach.
A resurgent United side, after all, held talks with both players during a frantic summer. Gakpo admitted as much, in an interview with The Times, while also claiming that Leeds United and Southampton tried to lure him away from PSV Eindhoven in the final few days of the window.
Leeds, PSV chief Marcel Brands explains, offered £30 million up front for Gakpo.
And Sneijder believes that, if the 23-year-old can follow up that thumping header against Senegal with a couple more decisive goals on the World Cup stage, Gakpo’s market value could soar to previously unimaginable heights even before the New Year celebrations begin.
How much would Cody Gakpo cost Liverpool or Arsenal now?
“How much he will raise (for PSV) depends largely on this World Cup. If he scores two or three more here, it could be eighty million euros. That’s how it works,” says the former Inter Milan playmaker, who inspired the Dutch to the brink of World Cup glory in 2010.
“First he has to finish this World Cup well and then show for another six months at PSV that he really stands out. With his speed and dribbling ability, the English Premier League, where there is a lot of space, suits him best.”
“(Gakpo has a) special combination of qualities. I do think he still has steps to take. He’s awfully good, but not consistent enough. There are also phases in the game where he’s not really present. Cody needs to get bolder, take balls and say; ‘here I am, give me that ball, I’m going to do it for you’.
“If you’re just a sweet boy, you won’t make it to the absolute top.”
According to 90Min, Arsenal scouted Gakpo during PSV’s 2-1 win at Eredivisie rivals Ajax recently. In addition to Manchester United, North West neighbours Liverpool are also throwing their hat into the ring for a man who now has 16 goals for club and country this season.
“(Liverpool coach Pep) Lijnders has said: ‘Gakpo is our missing link’,” explains reporter Hans Kraay Jr. “He is taken very seriously at Liverpool and he is one of the few people Klopp listens to.”
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