Cody Gakpo has revealed that Liverpool blocked his departure to Manchester City in the final stages of the summer transfer window, ending a move that had progressed substantially.
The Dutch winger, who lost his second son during pregnancy in June, described a “very tough” summer both on and off the pitch. When asked if Liverpool initially agreed to let him leave before reversing that decision, Gakpo confirmed: “Spot-on.”
“I just let it come, and it ended how it ended,” Gakpo said. “I cannot choose. So then I have to just try to do what I’m good at, and that’s playing football. If I have no control over the situation, I will not worry.”
Gakpo has flourished since the collapse of City’s £80m pursuit, scoring in Liverpool’s opening-weekend draw at Newcastle and in their Carabao Cup win over Tottenham, while recording five assists. He struck a stoppage-time equaliser for the Netherlands against Germany on Thursday. Van Dijk, his captain and Anfield teammate, backed the club’s decision to retain him: “If people didn’t appreciate Cody before, I don’t understand it. You can’t let him go.”
Written by PremClub News with the help of AI, using only facts from the reports listed on this page. How we rate stories · Editorial policy