Gakpo commits to Liverpool after £85m City move collapses on deadline day

Cody Gakpo will remain at Liverpool after Manchester City’s £85m deadline-day bid for the Dutch forward was rejected, with manager Andoni Iraola confirming the 27-year-old is fully committed and available for Friday’s Premier League trip to Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

City’s move for Gakpo would only have gone through had Liverpool secured an attacking replacement. Attempts to sign Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr and Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh both fell through, leaving the Reds with no option but to block the transfer and turn down the offer.

Iraola, who faces Ipswich looking for Liverpool’s first league win of the season after draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, says he maintained an open line of communication with Gakpo throughout the uncertainty.

“My relationship with Cody has been very honest from the beginning,” the Basque head coach said. “He has played very well for us so far. He was always aware of the situation in the market, we were constantly talking. I hope we can keep him at the same level. He is in a good place physically and mentally and I’m very happy to pick him.”

Gakpo, who had also attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the summer, has started the new campaign in strong form, making the collapse of the City deal less of a blow for Liverpool than it might otherwise have been.

Elsewhere, Stefan Bajcetic has issued a farewell message on social media after completing a transfer to Celta Vigo on 31 August. The midfielder joined Liverpool’s academy in 2021 and broke into the first team the following year, drawing widespread praise, but his Anfield career ends with the move back to Spain.