Gakpo set for £85m City move as Liverpool seal £100m Barcola deal and eye Sarr

Cody Gakpo is set to leave Liverpool for Manchester City in a deal worth around £85m, with the Dutchman’s decision triggered by the Reds’ agreement to sign Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for £100m plus £20m in add-ons.

Multiple reports confirm Gakpo has chosen City over Tottenham Hotspur — and over remaining at Anfield — despite the competition for places at the Etihad. Liverpool will now look to bring in at least one further winger before the transfer window closes, with Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr emerging as a target after the club moved on from Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh.

Barcola, who will sign a deal until 2031, had been Liverpool’s primary target throughout the window. PSG lowered their asking price to allow the move to progress, and the French forward is expected to undergo a medical imminently.

Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid have given Julian Alvarez until Sunday to decide his future after the Argentina forward missed a third consecutive day of training and was left out of the squad to face Sevilla. The club’s chief executive stated Alvarez would “never, ever” be sold to Barcelona but did not rule out a move to another club, leaving the door open for Arsenal, who remain firmly interested in their top target.

In west London, Chelsea have agreed a £7.5m deal to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, a move that follows costly errors from Robert Sanchez in the 3-2 Premier League win at Fulham. The Blues could also turn to Bournemouth’s Alex Scott if they sell Enzo Fernandez, who was left out of Xabi Alonso’s squad for the Carabao Cup tie against Luton on Thursday. Manchester City remain in talks to sign Fernandez.