Michael Owen believes Liverpool will have dealt a blow to Manchester United with the signing of Cody Gakpo.
The Reds appear to be closing in on the signing of the forward after agreeing a deal with PSV Eindhoven. Liverpool will pay an initial £37m for the 23-year-old, with add-ons taking the overall fee to more than £40m.
Talks between the two clubs are believed to have accelerated over the Christmas period, with Julian Ward moving fast to strike a deal with PSV. Anfield insiders have likened the deal to the move for Luis Diaz from Porto last January.
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Before the news around Gakpo being a potential new signing for Liverpool, the majority of the rumours seemed to focus around Man United. The Reds’ bitter rivals were heavily linked with the forward in the summer, and the speculation has not quietened down since then.
Former Liverpool striker Owen has explained why the Reds making a move for Gakpo will hurt Man United.
“Rumour has it that they have (been looking at him),” Owen told Amazon Prime.
“Obviously Ten Hag will know a lot about him from the previous league he managed in, and word has it that he preferred Antony to start with, he put all his eggs in that basket and maybe revisit this one.
“However, in the meantime Gakpo’s gone on to have a brilliant World Cup, probably doubled in value, and it seems like Liverpool have snuck in there.
“I think it is a bit of a blow for Manchester United because you can’t have enough players that are going to score goals.
“Yes, a number nine is the priority, but you need goals from all over the place.”
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