Gakpo turns down Tottenham to pursue Manchester City move before deadline

Cody Gakpo has snubbed Tottenham Hotspur and chosen Manchester City as his preferred destination, with talks underway between all parties to complete a deal before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

The Dutch winger, 27, has been linked with a departure from Anfield throughout the closing weeks of the summer window, with both City and Spurs registering interest. Tottenham had remained in pursuit of Gakpo even after completing separate signings of Savio and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City over the past week, but the player is understood to have no desire to move to north London.

Gakpo instead favours a switch to Enzo Maresca’s side, and discussions are now ongoing to reach an agreement on the terms of a transfer.

The forward joined Liverpool in December 2022 from PSV Eindhoven in a deal reported to be worth £37 million. In the two and a half seasons since, he has accumulated 50 goals and 23 assists across 180 appearances in all competitions — a record that underlines the significance of any potential sale.

His departure would come as a surprise given that Gakpo signed a new five-year contract with Liverpool only last year, tying him to the club until 2030. He featured in Saturday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Nottingham Forest, providing an assist from a starting position on the right flank.

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola, asked about Gakpo’s role in that position going forward, offered measured praise for the player’s contribution without addressing the transfer speculation directly. “I think he was going to be one of the subs when we scored the goal, he made a great play and then we were creating momentum,” Iraola said. “I decided to leave them a little bit more — three, four minutes — to see if we could use this momentum to score a second one.”

On the broader transfer picture at Anfield ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, the Spaniard acknowledged uncertainty without offering specifics. “I cannot tell you anything different right now. It’s true that there are things going on, like normal because we are talking about the last weeks of the market, but now we have to wait,” he said. “I’m looking forward to having the squad on September 2 and working with certainties.”