Manchester United should be wary of signing Cody Gakpo because he still needs to prove himself at club level, according to Louis Saha.
Gakpo turned heads at the World Cup by scoring three times for the Netherlands, who reached the quarter-finals before falling to Argentina on penalties. The 23-year-old came into the tournament with a burgeoning reputation following Premier League transfer interest over the summer.
That has now intensified, with Gakpo among the players United are looking at ahead of the January transfer window, following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. The PSV Eindhoven forward has contributed 55 goals and 50 assists in 159 club games across all competitions, but former United striker Saha remains unconvinced.
“He’s a very good player, and has had a really good tournament,” he told Compare.bet. “His performances on the biggest stage prove that he can perform in the Premier League, he’s so quick, and scores goals for his club and national team.
“I’d like to see him play at this level for another one or two years. I’m not convinced he should be signed straight away and he’ll be the right fit.
“We’ve seen quality players like [Jadon] Sancho struggle to transition to the Premier League. We know Gakpo is a quality player but would a move to United be right at the moment for his development?”
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Gakpo came close to leaving PSV in the summer, with United and Southampton among those interested, but he ended up staying in the Eredivisie. He was valued at £25million by PSV in the summer, but the Dutch club now want £50m to sell him in January.
Speaking during the Netherlands' World Cup campaign, Gakpo was open about the speculation surrounding his future. "It’s always nice to hear [transfer rumours] but I just focus here and do my best,” he said. “I don’t get shy about the rumours. But it’s a team sport, it’s not about one person.
"I prefer it to be about the team. It’s nice things that people write, but I’m not too concerned with that. Right now I’m busy with the Dutch team. I’ll see what happens in the winter. In football, anything is possible.”
PSV’s director of football Marcel Brands has openly admitted the club are preparing to sell Gakpo in the January transfer window. "You have to be realistic. When you talk about Cody Gakpo and the price tag, how many clubs are able to buy a player of that calibre? You are talking about maybe 10 or 12 clubs in Europe," he told the PSV supporters' club talk show Eeuwig Trouw.
"You have to need a player in that position and be able and willing to spend the money in January, which is normally less hectic than the summer. We have yet to see if it all happens. He has no clause or anything.
"Amounts have not been discussed, but if the right club comes that Cody would like to go [to].”
