Premier League rivals Manchester United hold a key advantage over Arsenal in the race to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV this summer.
The Gunners have held a long-term interest in Gakpo but a deal may be difficult to secure with the 23-year-old keen to play regular first team football ahead of the 2022 World Cup in November, football.london understands. Gakpo had a breakout season last term scoring 21 goals and providing a further 15 assists across all competitions.
The Netherlands international is currently focusing on securing Champions League football for PSV this season, with a play-off clash against Europa League 2021/22 finalists Rangers on the horizon. United are set to challenge Arsenal in the transfer market once again, after Erik ten Hag's side beat the north Londoners to the signing of Lisandro Martinez earlier this summer.
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The Gunners are thought to be in the market for a new winger to add more competition for a starting spot in Mikel Arteta's side, despite Edu already securing deals for Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira. Emile Smith Rowe is set to return from injury in the coming weeks, but with the futures of Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson in doubt, a new winger is said to be one of Arsenal's priorities before the transfer deadline.
Transfer Guru Fabrizio Romano has offered an update on Arsenal and United's pursuit of Gakpo in his latest CaughtOffside column. "Cody Gakpo is a player on the Manchester United list, but PSV Eindhoven have not yet received an official offer. They’re expecting that step to understand if Man United will want to get serious for Gakpo," Romano explained.
Romano went on to reveal that United hold a potential advantage over the Gunners in the race to sign the 23-year-old, with the Dutch starlet having the same agent as Erik ten Hag. "Certainly the player is attracted to the Premier League and has the same agency as Erik ten Hag," Romano added.
"The United manager knows him from his time in the Eredivisie and has been an admirer of the player for a long time. He can be defined similar to Antony as a role but he plays the game in a very different way, with a more European style and less South American."
One shining light for Arsenal in their pursuit of Gakpo is that the Netherlands international has previously admitted to being a fan of the Gunners and idolising Thierry Henry as a youngster. "I don’t favour one team but I like Arsenal a lot. I looked up to Henry when I was younger because he was a tall guy who played on the wing," Gakpo told the Sun back in April.
The 23-year-old has not made it clear that he wishes to leave PSV this summer, with his main focus being securing Champions League football with his hometown club. However, the should Gakpo wish to leave the Dutch outfit, the Gunners will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the Lisandro Martinez saga that saw their fierce Premier League rivals United pip them to signing a transfer target.
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