Liverpool have agreed to sign the Netherlands winger Cody Cakpo from PSV Eindhoven, the Eredivisie club said on Monday. The club did not disclose a transfer free but it was around £37 million, according to the ESPN report. PSV general manager Marcel Brands said the transfer fee would be a record for the club.
“PSV and Liverpool FC have reached an agreement on the proposed transfer of Cody Gakpo. The 23-year-old attacker will leave for England imminently where he will be subjected to the necessary formalities ahead of the completion of the transfer,” the Dutch club said in a statement.
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Who is Cody Gakpo?
Cody Gakpo is a footballer from the Netherlands who was born on May 7, 1999, in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. He currently plays for the Eredivise club PSV as a forward and also represents the Dutch national football team.
His father is originally from Togo while his mother is Dutch. After joining the PSV academy in 2007, Gakpo rose through the ranks and his first team debut as an injury-time substitute against Feyenoord on February 25, 2018. PVS won the match 3-1.
Owing to his mixed ancestry, Gakpo was eligible to play at the international level for the Netherlands, Ghana as well as Togo. However, having played for the Netherlands under-18 and under-19, he decided to join the Netherlands team when he was called up for the UEFA Euro 2020.
He made his debut at the 2020 Euros as a 79th-minute substitute for Frenkie De Jong in a group-stage match against North Macedonia. He became the first Dutch player since Martien Vreijsen in 1980 to make his international debut in a European Championship.
He scored three goals from three matches in the FIFA World Cup equalling France’s Kylian Mbappe and Ecuador’s Enner Valencia. His third goal came in the Qatar vs Netherlands Group A match at the Al Bayt Stadium on Tuesday.
He scored a screamer against Ecuador giving the Netherlands a lead in the 6th minute. The quality of Gakpo’s shot was so high that the goal has sparked debate about whether it can contest Richarlison’s goal against Serbia for the best goal of the tournament so far.
Gakpo plays up top as Netherland’s second forward along with Steven Bergwijn. He also scored the first goal in the 26th minute in the Netherlands’ last group-stage match against Qatar.
