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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Liverpool told Cody Gakpo fee is 'a steal' as Roberto Firmino point made

Liverpool's deal with PSV Eindhoven for Cody Gakpo has been branded "a steal" by John Barnes.

The Reds have agreed an initial fee of around £37m with PSV for Gakpo, with the Netherlands international now due on Merseyside to undertake his medical before being officially confirmed as a Liverpool player.

In a statement on their official website on Boxing Night, PSV confirmed an agreement had been reached and the Eredivisie's top scorer will provide Jurgen Klopp's side with a significant injection of firepower for the second half of the campaign.

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"[It's an] absolutely reasonable transfer fee," Reds legend Barnes said: "When you talk about signing a player these days who can come into your team and improve it, the players cost £70-80-90 million.

"So, to get a young player of his quality and a profile that suits us. He’s big, very similar to Darwin Nunez, in stature. He’s good in the air, he works hard and of course, to get him at that price, it’s a steal. He can play anywhere across the front three.

"Darwin Nunez, while he is a centre-forward, you can see him play wide. Not as a winger but as a wide player, while Salah plays down the middle, so he’s very versatile."

Speaking to BonusCodeBets, Barnes added: "Gakpo is good in the air, he’s tall, he’s rangey, he can run, he works hard. So, I think if you look at the way Liverpool will play with himself, Nunez, Salah, Diaz, Jota, they can play anywhere across the front three.

"He definitely offers competition to Darwin but not to Firmino, he is more of a link-player. He isn’t playing as one of the wide players or as a traditional centre-forward. I think Gakpo can play as a traditional centre-forward, as can Nunez, or he can play wide.

"Firmino drops deep, plays as a false nine whereas Gakpo doesn’t. But Gakpo will add competition to attacking places, which is great because of course, it’s good to have options."

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