- Winger linked with move to Old Trafford
- Leeds were also interested
- No deal done before deadline passed
WHAT HAPPENED? The 23-year-old winger has long been regarded as one of the most exciting talents in the Eredivisie, with admiring glances often shot in his direction from the Premier League. The Red Devils joined that fan club in the last window but, despite talks being held, no move to Old Trafford was agreed.
WHAT THEY SAID: Quizzed by Voetbal International on why Gakpo remains in the Netherlands, PSV director John de Jong has said: “Manchester United signed up at the beginning of the transfer period. They expressed their interest.
“In the end, as management, we had talks with United between the games against Rangers. Then it seemed to get more concrete, but that faded and at the end of the window the option to sell him to United was no longer there.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Gakpo was also a target for Leeds, with De Jong adding on the interest shown there: “It’s hard, it was hard for Cody, too. We got together on Thursday [deadline day] to discuss it. Leeds United’s director flew in and talked to Cody. We received and listened to Leeds, but in the end, no concrete offer was put on the table where we thought we should sell now.”
AND WHAT'S MORE: The highly-rated Netherlands international has admitted that he expected a move to Manchester to go through, but he is happy to have remained in his homeland as there is still plenty of time in which to take on a new challenge elsewhere.
STORY IN TWO PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR GAKPO? A product of PSV’s academy system, he has taken in 145 appearances for the club – scoring 49 goals – and will remain a talismanic presence in Eindhoven during the 2022-23 campaign.