Director admits Southampton ‘wanted to pay’ £28m for World Cup star

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Southampton ‘wanted to pay’ £28 million to bring World Cup star Cody Gakpo to the Premier League during the summer transfer window, former PSV Eindhoven director John de Jong tells Voetbal International. 

20 years ago, the Saints missed out on Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda long before they would be dominating the English football landscape at Chelsea. Back in 2020, Southampton also showed an interest in Darwin Nunez and Gianluca Scamacca; two strikers who eventually arrived on UK soil for combined fees of around £100 million. 

In 2022, it was Cody Gakpo and Goncalo Ramos – two of the Qatar World Cup’s breakout stars – who slipped through Southampton’s fingers. Chairman Henrik Krafth indicated, via The Athletic in November, that Gakpo and Ramos were ‘very close’ to shaking hands with Ralph Hasenhuttl in August. 

Now, after coming home from Qatar with three goals apiece, both players appear to have moved well out of Southampton’s reach. 

Southampton missed out on Qatar World Cup star and PSV Eindhoven talisman Cody Gakpo

“Southampton wanted to pay 32 million (euros) for Cody,” explains De Jong. “With a number of bonuses that were difficult to realise.

“We had a good discussion with each other and everyone had their say. We had to go for the sporting ambition of the club. I thought and believe that PSV has a very good squad, with which we have a good chance of winning the title. With Cody here, that chance is a lot bigger.”

Gakpo, now valued at £45 million, has 13 goals and 17 assists for PSV this season. The explosive attacker is expected to leave in January, however, with PSV’s financial situation likely to see the much-coveted 23-year-old end up at Liverpool or Manchester United (talkSPORT). 

“I really wanted to keep him,” De Jong adds; PSV having also rejected a big from Leeds in the final few days of the summer window. “But also knew that we had to let him go at certain amounts.  

“We indicated what we wanted. And also that we still needed Cody in the home game against Rangers (in the Champions League qualifiers). We then lost at home to Rangers. And United did not go for Gakpo, but for (Ajax’s) Antony.”