Cody Gakpo has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United to replace the recently departed Cristiano Ronaldo.
United were heavily linked with the Dutch forward in the summer as Erik ten Hag looked to upgrade his squad but a move never materialised. However, Gakpo confirmed in an interview that he had been in talks over a move to Old Trafford.
Speaking to The Times, he said: “I was close to leaving, I spoke to Erik ten Hag a few times at Manchester United."
Read next: Ronaldo was right about Martinez and Casemiro
He continued: "In the end the deal didn’t go through, which was a shame, for me and my development, and because Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, but also for PSV, because to transfer a player to Manchester United is a good thing for the club.
Although he was disappointed not to move away from the Netherlands, you couldn't see it in his performances. He has nine goals so far in the Eredivisie and 12 assists in 14 games, so he is performing at a level above his peers.
This of course secured his place in the Netherlands squad where he has continued scoring goals, getting three so far in four games.
When he was asked about a move again he stated to Dutch newspaper NRC: “That was a tough period. I learned from that. I’m going to do it differently. What comes, that comes. Suppose you want to go from RKC (Waalwijk) to PSV, but that club is not coming. Then you can panic.
“I thought about Manchester United, but when that didn’t happen, I couldn’t remember. And I started to doubt. Leeds United did come. Should I go there? Now I wait (for) everything. I haven’t heard from Manchester United yet. If they come, I’ll think about it. I also seek the help of God in these decisions.”
It won't be a cheap deal for United if they want to sign Gakpo however. The Daily Mail reported that PSV want a fee of around £50m for the player which may be more than Ten Hag and the board are willing to pay.
Related stories:
