Arsenal have suffered a fresh blow in their pursuit of PSV star Cody Gakpo with Manchester United seemingly taking the lead in the transfer race for the 23-year-old. Coming out of the 2022 World Cup, Gakpo is one of the most-talked about names in Europe, prompting many clubs to declare their interest ahead of the January transfer window.
Prior to Gabriel Jesus' knee injury and subsequent surgery, the Gunners held mild interest in Gakpo but talk of a move to north London has significantly ramped up with Mikel Arteta in need of a Jesus replacement. Arsenal will likely face competition for Gakpo's signature though, with Man United also interested.
Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, United boss Erik Ten Hag confirmed that the club would sign a striker in the winter window, but only once they found the right player.
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It's easy to understand why there is significant interest in Gakpo given his impressive goal-contribution record for the 2022/23 season for both club and country in all competitions. From 34 appearances across six different competitions, the 23-year-old has has been involved in 36 goals.
Of those 36 involvements, three arrived for the Netherlands at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, with Gakpo starring for his country on numerous occasions before they were eliminated in the quarter-final by eventual winners Argentina.
PSV manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, who made 219 appearances for United, recently gave his stance on a potential departure for Gakpo, telling Voetball, “There comes a time when you can't say no anymore”, which was a significant boost to Arsenal and United's hopes of securing a deal next month.
With the January window open in just under two weeks, the transfer battle for Gakpo will likely see a number of twists before his immediate future is confirmed and the latest update has seen United push out in front of Arsenal.
90min are reporting that United's hierarchy have green-lit the decision to move for the Dutch international, as per ten Hag's wishes.
Given van Nistelrooy's admission, a deal being completed early in the month could be on the horizon and the latest report shows United's intent to get the deal over the line, which means Edu will have to work quickly if he wishes to bring Gakpo to Emirates Stadium.
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