DUTCH ’N’ GO
LEEDS are set to beat bitter rivals Manchester United to the signature of Dutch player of the year Cody Gakpo in the New Year.
The Yorkshire club have agreed personal terms with the Holland forward, and are now in talks with PSV Eindhoven about their £30million valuation of the 23-year-old.
PSV want to cash-in quickly after being knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers by Rangers.
Premier League high-fliers Arsenal have also been monitoring Gakpo for 12 months, but he now appears bound for Elland Road – and that will be a huge blow to Old Trafford boss Erik ten Hag.
He has given the go-ahead for out-offavour Cristiano Ronaldo to find a new club – and that will save United more than £500,000 a week in wages.
But Leeds are now in pole position to land Gakpo, following their failure to seal a deal in August after Manchester United had dropped out of the running.
Ten Hag wanted to sign both Gakpo and Brazil winger Antony in the summer – but ran out of money as Ajax cranked up their demands for Antony to £86m.
That alerted Leeds to his availability and they were so keen to bring him to the Premier League that they sent a private jet to Holland on deadline day in the hope they could fly Gakpo back to the UK to complete a medical.
But PSV technical director John de Jong blocked the move – and has now been sacked after it emerged that club directors had told him that Gakpo needed to be sold to balance the books in the aftermath of a Champions League failure that was costing the club £60m.
Ten Hag still wants to take Gakpo to
Manchester, but accepts that a big January spend is unlikely after a summer splurge in excess of £210m.
Gakpo is desperate to come to England.
He has not allowed his summer disappointment to affect his form and has scored 13 goals in 17 appearances
for club and country this term. Gakpo revealed: “A week before the end of the window, I thought I would
go to Manchester – and then I was suddenly in a situation where I had to choose another club in a week.
“That was not an ideal situation for me and for PSV Eindhoven. It felt a bit rushed. Ultimately, the choice fell on staying with PSV.”
Gakpo will be in
Holland’s squad for the World Cup in
November.
He asked national coach Louis van Gaal for his advice in the summer after the former Old
Trafford boss urged defender
Jurrien Timber not to leave
Ajax for United, to safeguard his place in the Holland squad.
Gakpo admitted: “I asked the national
coach for advice about moving. He thought I should follow my gut feeling – but he also said that making a transfer in a World
Cup year would not really be ideal for me.
“Because of the adjustment I would have to make, I agreed with him.”
Leeds manager Jesse Marsch is a massive admirer of Gakpo, and wants him to link up with Luis Sinisterra, the Colombian forward signed from Feyenoord.
Versatile PSV threat Gakpo made his name as a winger, but can operate in four positions.
He has thrived as a No.10 this season after Van Gaal told him that was his best position.
Van Gaal said: “This was a good lesson for Cody. It was good for his development, too, because he doesn’t want to play there himself.
“He prefers to play from the left. But I think he has everything to become a top player as a really good No.10.”