Gakpo Snub Shows Liverpool Trust Iraola’s Rebuild Over a Quick £80m Sale
Manchester City rarely go shopping without meaning business, so it says something that Liverpool didn’t even let this one drag out. City tabled an £80m package for Cody Gakpo, £75m guaranteed with £5m in add-ons, and Liverpool simply said no. According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, contact between the two clubs has now confirmed the move is dead, and there’s no suggestion Liverpool are willing to revisit it before deadline day.
A Serious Offer, A Clear Answer
This wasn’t City kicking tyres. Enzo Maresca reportedly wanted Gakpo specifically, and the player himself was said to be open to the switch. When a club with City’s spending power puts real numbers on the table and still gets turned down, it tells you Liverpool see something in Gakpo worth more than the fee, whether that’s raw output or squad security with the window closing fast. The timing only sharpens that read. Liverpool have just paid £106m, plus add-ons that could push past £120m, for Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, a deal that on paper could have nudged Gakpo toward the exit. Instead, Andoni Iraola’s side have chosen to keep both, which suggests this squad rebuild is about strengthening the front line rather than trimming it.
Van Dijk Speaks, Iraola Listens
Virgil van Dijk didn’t hold back after the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, making clear he rates Gakpo both as a footballer and as a person, going as far as calling him “a friend of mine” while stressing how important he remains to the group. That’s not the kind of thing a captain says lightly, and it’s hard to imagine Iraola ignoring it when strong characters in that dressing room are this vocal about who should stay. City, for what it’s worth, have already moved on and are now being linked with Enzo Fernandez instead, while their business elsewhere continues at pace with Omar Marmoush and Savinho departing for Tottenham Hotspur and Allan Elias arriving from Palmeiras in a reported €40m deal.
The Numbers That Justify Patience
Strip away the noise and Gakpo’s underlying record still stacks up. He signed a fresh five year deal last August on the back of 18 goals and seven assists in 49 games during the title winning 2024-25 campaign, and across his time at Anfield he’s contributed 50 goals and 23 assists in 180 appearances. Yes, his form dipped through the back half of last season, just three league goals despite barely missing a match, but he’s started both Premier League games so far this term, scoring against Newcastle United and setting one up against Forest. There’s also real context worth remembering: he played through the World Cup this summer and still found the net three times in four games, only days after his partner Noa spoke publicly about losing their child during pregnancy. None of that excuses a dip in form, but it’s the kind of backdrop that deserves acknowledging rather than being brushed aside when judging a player’s output. Liverpool paid an initial £37m for him from PSV, rising to around £44m, so turning down double that fee is not a decision taken lightly.
Our Take
We’re of two minds on this one, and we suspect plenty of supporters will be too. £80m for a forward coming off an inconsistent campaign is serious money, and if Gakpo really was tempted by City, Iraola needs total clarity that his head is back in the right place before results turn sour again. Commitment matters, especially at a club that’s had its share of turbulence over the past year. But the counter argument is just as strong. Barcola has barely settled in, Alexander Isak is still finding his feet as the focal point of the attack, and a squad this light up front cannot afford to sell proven goal contributions on the strength of one big offer. If Gakpo rediscovers the form that won Liverpool a title, this will look like an easy call. If he doesn’t, it’ll be picked apart for a long time. Either way, Liverpool have backed their own judgement over City’s cheque book, and for now, that feels like the right kind of gamble to take. It also sends a wider message to the rest of the dressing room. Big offers will keep arriving for players who perform on the biggest stages, and Liverpool wanted to show they won’t be strong armed into cashing in just because a rival club comes calling with a fat cheque and a firm deadline. That kind of resolve tends to matter more in January and next summer than it does today, when the next unsettled player starts wondering whether Anfield will stand firm for them too.