Cody Gakpo lifts a lid admission over Liverpool ‘lie’ after lifting making admission om Manchester United talks
Cody Gakpo has confessed that he discussed a transfer to Manchester United with Ruud van Nistelrooy before he ultimately signed with Liverpool in January.
Gakpo joined Liverpool for a transfer fee of £37 million from PSV Eindhoven after a standout performance in the World Cup for the Netherlands. He had previously been linked with a move to Old Trafford, with Van Nistelrooy, a Manchester United legend, being his manager at PSV.
Gakpo stated that he did have a conversation with Van Nistelrooy about the possibility of joining United, but his former manager put aside any personal ties and supported Gakpo’s decision to move to Liverpool.
“To be honest, I spoke to him a lot about United in the summer when the transfer looked like it may be coming,” Gakpo said.
“But in the winter, not really. It was Ruud’s wish that I went to a big club – and I think I have achieved that with Liverpool.
“There was a lot of speculation in the summer. It was the first window where it was possible to move and so, yes, it affected me a little bit.
“But then there was one moment when I just said, ‘forget about it, play your best game, and maybe it will happen next summer or in the winter’. That’s what I tried to do and it went well.”
It was unexpected when Liverpool made the move for Gakpo instead of Manchester United, considering the strong links between the player and United from the previous summer.
Although Liverpool had shown interest before the World Cup, Gakpo was not informed of their contact until after the Netherlands’ World Cup campaign was over.
Despite the fast progression of the transfer, Gakpo, who is religious, requested that it be completed after Christmas Day.
Cody Gakpo lifts a lid admission over Liverpool ‘lie’ after lifting making admission om Manchester United talks
