"Forever..." - PSV make emotional request to Liverpool after Gakpo completes Anfield move

PSV Eindhoven have asked Liverpool to take care of Cody Gakpo in an emotional farewell to the Netherlands international.

Liverpool announced on Wednesday night that they had signed Gakpo from the Dutch club, with the deal due to be completed when the transfer window opens on January 1.

Gakpo has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with Liverpool, who have reportedly paid an initial £37m fee for the player which could rise to £45m with add-ons.

While it is an exciting time for Reds supporters, PSV fans will be sad to see one of their homegrown talents leave the club.

Eindhoven-born Gakpo graduated from PSV's academy in 2018 and has since gone on to make 159 appearances for the senior team, scoring 55 times.

Despite being aged only 23, Gakpo was appointed vice-captain at the start of the season – a reflection of how highly he was rated at the Philips Stadion.

PSV send Liverpool message

After Gakpo's transfer was confirmed, PSV took to Twitter to thank the forward for his time at the club and also send a message to Liverpool.

"Born in Eindhoven. Made in Eindhoven. Became a star in Eindhoven. Cody Gakpo, #ForeverEindhovenaar. Take care of him, @LFC," posted the Dutch club.

Gakpo has expressed his excitement at playing for an "amazing club" like Liverpool.

"I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years," Gakpo told Liverpool's website.

"I think for me personally it's also good to develop here and there's a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from."

When asked what are his ambitions with Liverpool, Gakpo added: "Obviously to win as many prizes as we can as a team, to perform well, to show the world what we can do as a team and what I can do as a player.

"And personally, just to keep developing and become a better player every season."

Topics: Football, Liverpool, Cody Gakpo, PSV, Eredivisie, Premier League

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan