Liverpool are aiming to steal a march on Manchester United having entered advanced talks to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven in the January transfer window.
The Red Devils have been in negotiating a deal for the highly-regarded Netherlands forward, who scored three goals in five appearances at the World Cup in Qatar. United's interest has prompted Liverpool to act on their own desire to sign Gakpo, and Jurgen Klopp's staff worked over Christmas as talks reached an advanced stage.
Mirror Football understands Virgil van Dijk has played an important role persuading his fellow Dutchman to move to Anfield. Further, Liverpool's negotiations with PSV have gone smoothly as they are willing to pay much of the transfer fee up front, whereas United would prefer a different payment structure.
PSV value the versatile attacker at up to £50million, which comes as no surprise given he is the top goalscorer (nine) and leading assister (12) in the Eredivisie - the Dutch top flight - this season. Gakpo is viewed as the ideal option to bolster Liverpool's attacking ranks, with Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz not back from injury until February and March respectively.
Champions League qualification is the target for Klopp and Co. after an underwhelming first half of the season. The Reds, who pushed Manchester City all the way in last campaign's title race, lost four of their opening 12 games before putting together a run of three consecutive top-flight victories.
The latest of these wins came at Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and Klopp hinted there could be January recruitment in attack while speaking ahead of the 3-1 triumph in the Midlands. He said: "We have two long-term injuries up front.
"Last January, Luis Diaz came in, which was very helpful for that part of the season. Doing something similar this time? If it was a positive move, why not?"
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Diaz has been a revelation with his electric performances on the left wing since arriving from Porto in January 2022 for a fee which could rise to £50million. However, the Colombian will be out for a number of months after he suffered a setback to a knee injury and was forced to go under the knife. Jota is also out of action until February at the earliest as he recovers from a calf issue.
There is another parallel between Diaz's move to Merseyside and the proposed transfer for Gakpo; earlier this year, the Reds pipped Tottenham to the former's signature, and they are hoping to beat United to signing the latter this winter window.
The report notes Arsenal are also interested in Gakpo after Gabriel Jesus was ruled out for a number of months having undergone surgery on a knee injury sustained while representing Brazil at the World Cup. PSV manager Ruud van Nistelrooy knows just how in-demand his player is and confessed he could depart in January 2023 for the right price.
