After a long transfer soap, Cody Gakpo decided on deadline day not to make a transfer to the Premier League. The 23-year-old wing attacker could go to Leeds United for 43 million euros, while Southampton also, according to the Eindhovens Dagblad would have an agreement with Gakpo. The Telegraph makes a spicy reveal on Friday morning. Gakpo was offered to Ajax by his management on Monday, when Antony was on his way to Manchester United.
After the concrete interest from England, Gakpo finally made the decision himself by staying with PSV. The Telegraph reveals that Gakpo was still offered to Ajax by his management Sports Entertainment Group (SEG) in the last days of the summer transfer window. The morning newspaper has had access to the app traffic and the spicy news was subsequently confirmed by sources in Amsterdam. It is unclear whether Gakpo was aware that his management took that remarkable step. However, Ajax decided not to accept the offer.
Gakpo’s management was reportedly keen on a million-dollar deal before the transfer window closed, because in addition to Gakpo’s name, SEG would also have offered Dinamo Kyiv striker Viktor Tsygankov to Ajax. Football International already reported on Wednesday that PSV saw the ideal replacement for Gakpo in the 24-year-old wing attacker. The Telegraph confirms this news: Tsygankov was named junior by SEG manager Kees Ploegsma among the Eindhoven team, after which he also dropped the name of the Ukrainian international in Amsterdam.
Gakpo finally seemed well on his way to Leeds on deadline day. The attacker would take flight CL30 to Leeds Bradford on Thursday morning with a total of eight people to make a transfer to the peacocks completed, but declined to do so. Victor Orta, who is responsible for technical policy at Leeds, returned home unsatisfied. PSV watcher Rik Elfrink reported that Gakpo himself has stated that he does not want more.
PSV bet on a record transfer for Gakpo and initially set the amount at fifty million euros. An amount that turned out to be unrealistic on closer inspection. The the Dutch international was then put up for sale for forty million euros. Manchester United and Arsenal dropped out at an earlier stage, Southampton and Leeds United remained interested. PSV have made several attempts in recent days to break Gakpo’s contract, but whether that will happen remains to be seen.