Why We Think Gakpo Isn’t Going Anywhere This Summer

Cody Gakpo’s name keeps resurfacing whenever talk turns to Liverpool’s business this summer, and it isn’t hard to see why. With the club still hunting fresh options in attack, and every incoming rumour treated as a signal that somebody has to leave to make room, supporters have been left wondering whether the Dutch forward could be one of the players to make way before the window shuts. Our reading of the latest reporting, though, is that this speculation has outpaced the reality on the ground, and that Liverpool’s actual plans for Gakpo look far less dramatic than the transfer chatter suggests.

A Story That Refuses to Fade

The chatter around Gakpo has intensified alongside Liverpool’s pursuit of Paris Saint Germain winger Bradley Barcola, with some assuming one deal in might mean one experienced attacker out. It’s a natural assumption given how transfer windows tend to work, but based on comments from Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele during a recent podcast appearance, it doesn’t reflect where Liverpool’s thinking actually sits right now. Steele’s view was clear enough, Gakpo remains more likely to stay than go, even if he stopped short of closing the door completely on any scenario.

The Sequencing Problem Liverpool Can’t Ignore

There’s a practical reason behind that caution. Moving on an experienced forward while still trying to add another up front would leave Liverpool light in a position they’re actively trying to strengthen, not simplify. Squad building doesn’t tend to work well in reverse order. Any sale, in our view, would need replacement business already tied up first, and there’s no evidence that’s close to happening. Until Liverpool have their incoming piece secured, shipping Gakpo out looks like a needless gamble rather than smart squad management, and it’s exactly the kind of self inflicted problem a club with Liverpool’s resources shouldn’t need to create.

A Fresh Manager Could Change the Picture Entirely

Gakpo’s underwhelming campaign last season is part of why his name gets attached to exit stories in the first place, but arguably the more relevant factor is who’s now in charge of turning things around. Steele pointed to a belief that Andoni Iraola’s arrival could give several underperforming players, Gakpo among them, a genuine route back to form. Iraola’s reputation for high energy, front foot football is exactly the sort of environment that might suit a player capable of more than he showed last term. Writing him off after one difficult year seems premature when a completely different tactical set up and coaching voice is about to be tested on him for the first time.

Never Say Never on the Money

None of this means Liverpool would knock back a serious offer if one landed on the table. Steele acknowledged that a significant bid could still shift the club’s stance, particularly with Liverpool having been open about needing to bank a sale somewhere this summer to help balance the books. Gakpo was named as a plausible candidate if that pressure builds, though Steele was careful to stress there’s nothing concrete pointing that way at the moment. Reading between the lines, this looks less like an active push to sell Gakpo and more like an acknowledgment that the finances of a busy transfer window can throw up situations nobody’s currently planning for.

Putting it all together, our take is straightforward. Interest in Gakpo will keep bubbling as long as Liverpool remain active in the market for attackers, and it wouldn’t take an outrageous offer to test the club’s resolve if one arrived out of nowhere. But absent that scenario, the expectation should be that Gakpo stays at Anfield, gets his chance to rebuild his reputation under Iraola, and that the exit stories currently circulating say more about a noisy transfer window than about any concrete plan to actually move him on before deadline day.