Why Man United missed out on Cody Gakpo as Liverpool reach agreement

The reason why Manchester United missed out on Cody Gakpo has reportedly been revealed as Liverpool close in on the superstar player.

Liverpool have agreed to sign Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven in a transfer worth £37 million plus add-ons.

The 23-year-old, who had an impressive World Cup with the Netherlands having scored three goals, will travel to England to undergo a medical ahead of completing his switch.

Liverpool's move for Gakpo comes after Man United had expressed an interest and were thought to be considering their own bid for the forward.

Cody Gakpo in action for the Netherlands at the World Cup. Image: Alamy

But BBC Sport claim that Man United's scouting department were 'never convinced' about his 'level of development'.

What's more, the Daily Mail suggest that they had instigated talks but were still to finalise a financial offer.

The Red Devils also felt the price for Gakpo was inflated as they valued him at around £30 million.

The Glazers were also reluctant to invest heavily in transfers as they look to sell the Old Trafford club.

Liverpool subsequently pounced and took advantage of the situation, reaching an agreement with the Dutch club.

Gakpo had also attracted interest from Leeds United and Southampton last summer, but opted to stay at PSV in the build-up to the World Cup.

This season, he's bagged an impressive 13 goals in all competitions, including nine goals in the Eredivisie.

Despite the excitement surrounding Gakpo's imminent arrival at Anfield, former Liverpool player Steve Nicol has questioned his old side's move for the talented Dutchman.

When asked if a move to Liverpool for Gakpo would make sense, he replied: "I'm not 100 per cent sure.

"Where does he play? He doesn't play way up high, he doesn't play in the middle. He's kind of in between.

"Where does that fit in with the way Liverpool play? I'm not so sure it does. Unless they see something and he's going to play wide of the front three, or else they're going to sit him back and he's going to be doing a sort of Jude Bellingham [role] by getting into the box late.

"Is he going to do all the hard work and get forward? But for me, he's kind of in between."

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Topics: Cody Gakpo, Manchester United, Liverpool, Football

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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