Gakpo improvement is bad news for Man Utd

FT Desk

• 28 Oct 2022 17:02 BST
• 4 min read

Cody Gakpo is rivalling Erling Haaland for goal-involvements this season, and more than just Manchester United are now keeping tabs on the Netherlands winger.

Gakpo has plundered 13 goals and 14 assists from just 21 games in all competitions for PSV Eindhoven this season, secured at a rate of one every 63 minutes he has played.

Haaland's 22 goals for Manchester City following his €60 million arrival from Borussia Dortmund this summer - alongside his three assists - have come in at a rate of one every 51 minutes.

For Gakpo to be just 12 minutes slower than a striker grabbing many of world football's headlines this season, given he lines up as a winger not a striker, is quite some feat, and now some of Europe's biggest teams are ready to pounce.

READ: Cody Gakpo: Man Utd and Arsenal target is more devastating than Haaland

"[Cody Gakpo] has been fantastic this season," says transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano. "The amount of chances he created also the skills of this player, are something else. He seems to be really a top, top player..."

"Now the feeling around the player and the cub is that Cody Gakpo will not end up at these clubs like Leeds and Southampton; and it's probably going to be a different level [of club]. Now, top important clubs around Europe, especially in England, are monitoring [him]."

Leeds had flown a private jet out to meet Gakpo and his representatives on transfer deadline day, hoping to secure his signature at the last after United had focused all of their attention on fellow winger Antony, who moved to Old Trafford from Ajax in a €100m deal.

READ: Spin Doctor: Erik Ten Hag will be DELIGHTED at Antony's showboating

Paying over the odds

United might be favourites to sign Gakpo ahead of Leeds in the January window, but the equation changes for them when the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid come to the table.

One, they might not even get him at all, but two: if they do, they will likely have to pay way more than the €28m he is rated at by Football Transfers' in-house algorithm.

There wasn't much competition on Antony, or indeed Real Madrid's Casemiro, but they still paid over the odds for them - to the tune of €100m and €80m respectively. Lisandro Martinez may have turned down Arsenal for United, but he had an existing relationship with Erik ten Hag from their time together at Ajax.

Gakpo was disappointed not to join United in the summer. He might now have played himself out of a move to Old Trafford.