Where Cody Gakpo Will End Up in Man City, Tottenham Transfer Merry-Go-Round

Gakpo is just one cog in a series of transfers involving two other Premier League forwards.

Cody Gakpo has found himself in the spotlight this summer. | Visionhaus/Getty Images (Gakpo), Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images (Liverpool), Nigel Roddis/Getty Images (City), Visionhaus/Getty Images (Tottenham)

Manchester City are reportedly closing in on a record-breaking deal for Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, with their pursuit bolstered by Tottenham Hotspur’s shift in focus toward Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye.

For a player who endured one of his most underwhelming Premier League seasons last term—a campaign in which he was out-scored by both of Everton’s widely criticized strikers, Beto and Thierno Barry—Gakpo has become the center of this summer’s transfer merry-go-round.

The Netherlands international first emerged on the radar of Tottenham as Roberto De Zerbi’s strugglers went in search of another Premier League player to purchase for a wildly inflated fee. In an unexpected twist, Manchester City also joined the negotiating table and appear to have the edge on Spurs.

Wary of limited game time with the imminent arrival of Bradley Barcola, Gakpo has greenlit a move to City, per The Athletic. A fee in the region of Liverpool’s eye-watering asking price of $115.2 million (£85 million) is being discussed as all three parties seek to secure a swift agreement before Tuesday’s transfer deadline. No player has moved between the two modern rivals since Raheem Sterling’s controversial switch in 2015.

Such a sum would make Gakpo the most expensive Dutch player of all time, surpassing Frenkie de Jong’s move from Ajax to Barcelona in 2019, which cost around $98 million at the time.

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Tottenham Turn Attention to Two-Way Move

Iliman Ndiaye (left) and Richarlison could trade places. | Ben STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

In light of Gakpo’s supposed preference for City, Spurs have been forced to look elsewhere, specifically at Everton.

Ndiaye, who was reportedly a target for Manchester City in this dizzying carousel of Premier League wingers with middling goal returns, is expected to be on his way to Tottenham. Richarlison, in an entirely separate deal, of course, will be heading back to Everton.

Paul Joyce of The Times claims that Spurs will pay $81.3 million (£60 million) for Ndiaye while banking $47.5 million (£35 million) for Richarlison.

By agreeing two different transfers, both clubs stand to book a profit in this year’s accounts; while the dynamics are obvious for Everton (they are spending less than they’re receiving) Tottenham can spread the cost of Ndiaye’s fee across the length of his contract while banking the entirety of the sum for Richarlison.

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Division at Liverpool Over Gakpo Exit

Cody Gakpo (center) is good friends with Virgil van Dijk (to his right). | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Gakpo’s potential exit has thrown up a philosophical conundrum on Merseyside. While it’s clear that a winger with seven league goals last season is unlikely to command such an inviting sum in many other summers, there is a fear over whether there will be time to find a replacement. Gakpo’s fast start to the season, offering up a goal and an assist across the first two weekends, has only complicated matters.

It’s exceedingly simple for Liverpool’s captain, however: He doesn’t want to lose his friend.

“He’s a quality player,” Virgil van Dijk told assembled reporters after Saturday’s 2–2 draw with Nottingham Forest. “I think we should keep quality players. Let’s see what the next few days bring. I want him to stay not only because he’s a quality player but also because he’s a friend of mine. He’s very important for us.”

That opinion was not shared by a legendary Liverpool center back of the past. Jamie Carragher was adamant on social media that Gakpo should be swiftly moved on. “The money talked about for Gakpo £80–85 million we should sell. With Barcola arriving he will be a squad player,” the retired defender wrote. “We need to use that money for a right winger and give the squad a better balance.”

Despite a soft center and frailties at fullback, it would appear that Liverpool’s main focus across the final few hours of the transfer window will be centered around another winger. Even with Gakpo’s expected exit, Andoni Iraola would still have four players to call upon for that left hand side (Barcola, Victor Muñoz, Rio Ngumoha and Federico Chiesa). The opposite wing is almost entirely empty unless Liverpool intend on playing one of the left wingers out of position.

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