Gakpo on failed move to Man United: “Too bad for me, but also for PSV”

Eindhoven’s top scorer

Cody Gakpo was one of the top contenders to join Manchester United in the past transfer window. The 23-year-old confirmed this to the English newspaper “TheTimes“. “I was about to leave the club. I spoke to Erik ten Hag a few times.” In the end, however, the “Red Devils” decided to buy Ajax Amsterdam’s Antony (22) for 95 million euros and the left wing stayed with PSV Eindhoven.

“It was a shame for me and my development and because Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, but also for PSV because a player’s transfer to Manchester United is a good thing for the club,” Gakpo continued. So far, the Eredivisie club has earned the most with the departure of Hirving Lozano (27) to SSC Napoli in 2019 – at that time 45 million euros flowed. Gakpo, currently valued at 35 million euros and tied until 2026, could become a record sale in the future. Its value increases with its current peak performance.

But not only the English record champions expressed their interest in the Dutch international. Shortly after negotiations with Man United broke down, “I had to make a choice between going to Leeds or Southampton. I ended up staying, but it was a stressful time.”

Still, it wasn’t difficult for him to focus on Eindhoven again. “I’ve always said if I stay here – it’s my childhood club – it’s not a punishment,” Gakpo said. “I like being here, I want to win trophies here and do my best for the club. But if I got the chance to go to the Premier League, I would obviously consider it.”

PSV Eindhoven: Gakpo already with 24 points – “It’s my job”

Gakpo joined the PSV academy at the age of six, worked his way up through all youth stations to the professionals, for whom he made his Eredivisie debut in 2018. Since then, he has been carefully built up and after the departures of Donyell Malen (23) to Borussia Dortmund and Denzel Dumfries (26) to Inter Milan, he was given more and more responsibility, which he lived up to. With 13 goals in all competitions and eleven assists from 18 games so far, he leads the ranking of the top scorers in the top 15 leagues (including all competitive games) – ahead of stars like Erling Haaland (22).

“I know Haaland has more than 20 and so does Neymar. And I have more? Wow! It’s good. That’s my job,” Gakpo commented on his top scores. But it’s not just for him that things are going well at the moment, PSG newcomer Xavi Simons (19) has already been on the top scorer list ten times. In the league, PSV is currently the top attacker with 35 goals scored after ten match days. If you add up all games this season, there are already 57 goals – more than three per game.

Gakpo is not aiming for a change after the World Cup

With a haul of 13, Gakpo is responsible for almost 23 percent of all Eindhoven goals to date. Actually, he shouldn’t have been there anymore. Like the magazineVoetbal International” reported in September, Gakpo was to be sold at the behest of the supervisory board, but the sporting management level around John de Jong acted contrary to this instruction – as a result, the 45-year-old lost his job as technical director.

Should Gakpo be able to maintain his excellent form, it should only be a matter of time before further lucrative offers for the right foot arrive. The World Cup could also be an additional stage for the winger, whose goal is very clear: “I want to be in the squad.” He’s not aiming for a change after the tournament. “Anything can happen after that, but it would probably be better to end the season where I started.”

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