Cody Gakpo reveals the player who cost him Man Utd transfer before deciding to join Liverpool

Liverpool star Cody Gakpo has revealed that one Manchester United player stopped him from moving to Old Trafford.

Back in December 2022, it was announced that Liverpool had agreed a deal worth a reported fee between 40m-50m euros (£35.4m-£44.3m) to sign Gakpo from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.

At the time, the deal came as a little bit of a surprise as Gakpo had been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool's rivals, United.

Since moving to Anfield, the 25-year-old has scored 37 goals in 111 matches across all competitions.

This season, Gakpo is producing arguably his best football since joining the club as he is often played in his preferred position by manager Arne Slot.

So far in the 24/25 campaign, Gakpo has managed 14 goals and five assists in 32 appearances.

Cody Gakpo reveals Manchester United star cost him Old Trafford move

On Monday, Gakpo revealed via The Players' Tribune that he was stopped from joining United because of Antony.

The Dutchman explained: "Around that time, I started hearing rumors of a move to England. Now, everybody who knows me, knows I am a man guided by my faith. So, one day, I had a meeting with the pastor from my church back in Holland, and he brought a friend who was a pastor somewhere else. This other pastor said, “Can I tell you something?” I said of course. This was before any big clubs had come knocking on my door. And he said that God told him that I would go to Liverpool.

"I kind of laughed it off like, Yeah, nice, we will see about that. There was already a little bit of interest from Manchester United, so I thought, We’ll see."

Cody Gakpo is enjoying life in Liverpool. Image: Getty

Gakpo continued: "Then in the summer of 2022, United went for Antony. I was like, What should I do? At this point I could go to Leeds, Southampton, or I could stay at PSV.

"I prayed, and I asked God for guidance. But you see, I had to make sure I got his message. So I said, If I score only one time, I’ll go to Southampton…. If I score two times, I’ll go to Leeds…. If I score three times, I’ll stay."

Gakpo then still chose to stay with PSV. He said: "The next day we played, and I scored twice. I was also involved in a third goal — and at first, it was called as an own goal. Then I was subbed out. So, two goals, right? I thought, Ah, OK, it’s Leeds then. I was at peace with my decision.

"As I was sitting on the bench, I told my friend, Jordan Teze, who now plays for Monaco, the whole story. He was like, “If God wants you to stay, that own goal will be awarded to you.” It was like a coin toss, waiting to see what they decided. It could have gone either way! But after the game, they gave me the goal. I scored three, so my fate changed. I stayed at PSV."