Liverpool fans are shocked after hearing what the club thinks about Cody Gakpo staying.
Cody Gakpo is staying at Liverpool past the transfer deadline, and the club’s reaction to keeping him has left fans surprised.
On Saturday, The Athletic reported that Gakpo had almost joined Manchester City before the deadline, with talks ongoing to reach a deal.
Liverpool had already signed Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for £123 million on Monday, and in the end, they decided not to let Gakpo go to City.
This means the Dutch player will stay at Anfield, which is great news for new coach Andoni Iraola, who started him in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
It’s also a boost for the team, with captain Virgil van Dijk saying he wanted Gakpo to stay after hearing about the possible move.
“He’s a quality player, and I think we should keep quality players,” Van Dijk said. “I want him to stay not just because he’s good, but because he’s a good friend to me. He’s very important for us.”
So far, Liverpool don’t seem to be close to signing anyone else this summer. They’ve already brought in three first-team players — Barcola, Victor Munoz, and Ronald Araujo — and Jeremy Jacquet joined from Rennes at the start of the window.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano shared more about the talks that kept Gakpo at Liverpool, and one comment about the transfer window left fans shocked.
“Liverpool decided to keep Cody Gakpo, so they see keeping him as a signing,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“Gakpo was very close to joining Manchester City. Now, with both Gakpo and Barcola staying, Liverpool’s management is very happy and believes the team will do really well.”
When asked if Liverpool are happy with their transfer window, Romano said, “Yeah, they are. Absolutely.”
Fans had mixed reactions: one joked, “A player who was never sold is like a new signing… only at Liverpool!”
Another said, “This window’s been crazy — we’re signing players from ourselves to bring in new ones!”
Others weren’t so sure: “I’m not convinced we should be ‘absolutely happy’ when the squad still has a lot of weaknesses.”
And one added, “I’m happy Gakpo is staying, especially after City showed interest. But calling this a strong window when key positions like defensive midfield and right-back still need work isn’t fair.”