Cody Gakpo has been tipped to become a "spectacular" player for Liverpool after completing a transfer from PSV Eindhoven.
The Netherlands star's move to Anfield came as a surprise when the news broke on Boxing Day night after he seemed destined to join Manchester United.
That only made the deal all the more exciting for Liverpool supporters. Manager Jurgen Klopp insisted, though, that it was a transfer long in the making and that Gakpo had long been on the Reds' radar.
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The 23-year-old started his career with Jong PSV, the reserve side of PSV Eindhoven, scoring 17 goals in 26 games before breaking into the first team, where he went on to net 55 times in 159 appearances before making the switch to Merseyside.
Pascal Jansen, now head coach of Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar, came across Gakpo when he was manager of Jong PSV, and he believes Liverpool's new No.18 is a "diamond".
Jansen told Gazzetta dello Sport: "Gakpo is a diamond. I met him in the under-15s of PSV and already in the Academy he shone with his immense quality.
“At just 23-years-old he was one of the stars of the Dutch championship and in Qatar. With the national team he was exceptional.
"At Klopp’s Liverpool he will amaze everyone: he can become a spectacular striker.”
Liverpool could pay up to £40m for Gakpo, who scored three goals in five games for the Netherlands at the World Cup in Qatar.
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