Cody Gakpo: What next for Man Utd target after Antony transfer?

Karan Tejwani

29 Aug 2022 14:05 BST
4 min read

Manchester United are close to completing the signing of Ajax winger Antony, leaving PSV attacker Cody Gakpo’s future up in the air in the final days of the transfer window.

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Red Devils’ boss Erik ten Hag is known to be an admirer of Gakpo’s talents, having seen how good he can be when he was in the Eredivisie and was named Dutch Footballer of the Year last season.

However, he preferred the signing of Antony over Gakpo, having previously worked with the Brazilian and having overseen the transition from South America to Europe.

United are set to finalize a €100 million transfer for Antony before the end of the transfer window, but interest from the Premier League in Gakpo hasn’t ended.

Interest still high in Gakpo

The Dutchman has been a target of several Premier League clubs earlier in the window, such as Arsenal and Newcastle United, but no move has materialized as he was focused on PSV’s Champions League campaign.

Now that PSV are out of the Champions League and will play in the Europa League, there may be focus on a move once again, with some lower half Premier League sides considering the move.

According to The Athletic, Southampton are one of the clubs interested in making a move for Gakpo, while Everton are also considering a deal.

Some reports in the Netherlands also suggest Manchester United aren’t completely against the idea as well, but they are waiting a little longer while PSV want clarity on what’s happening with the situation.

Cody Gakpo's game by numbers vs. Excelsior:

55 touches
9 shots
7 crosses
4 chances created
4 duels won
3 shots on target
2 assists
1 goal

He only played 61 minutes. 😀 pic.twitter.com/KvtbMqacxq
— Squawka (@Squawka) August 28, 2022

PSV recently agreed a deal to sign Anwar El Ghazi from Aston Villa for a €2.5 million in what many believe to be an adequate replacement for Gakpo in case he leaves at the end of the transfer window.

Gakpo has been speaking on his future and addressing the interest in him from Manchester United, as well as whether Antony’s move to Old Trafford has any impact on his future.

"Manchester United is one of the interested clubs, but there are other options. United is a serious option, though. I can hear it all. I'm trying to get rid of it, but that's difficult," Gakpo said.

He later added on the reports of Antony’s move to join Ten Hag’s side: “Antony to Manchester United? Nice for him, but for me and my future, I think that has no influence.”

Gakpo continued: “It’s like a puzzle so in the next days I will see which puzzle fits best — for me, it’d be certainly not bad to stay at PSV. We’ll see.”

Gakpo is one of the Eredivisie’s most exciting players, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the final days of the transfer window with regards to his future.