Manchester United Considering Move for Liverpool's Cody Gakpo

Manchester United’s long-standing admiration for Cody Gakpo has never really gone away. Now, the idea that the Liverpool forward could one day walk out at Old Trafford in red rather than red and white is back on the table – at least in theory.

The interest is real. The deal, for now, is not.

Gakpo is coming off a flat domestic season at Anfield. Nine goals and six assists in 52 appearances is a sharp drop from the 18 goals and seven assists he produced in 49 games the year before. For a player signed as one of Europe’s most exciting wide forwards, that regression has not gone unnoticed.

Yet when the stage was biggest, he reminded everyone why the elite chased him in the first place. At the World Cup, the Dutchman hit three goals and added an assist in four matches, even as the Netherlands crashed out in a shock round-of-32 defeat to Morocco. On that platform, he looked every inch the star Liverpool thought they had stolen.

Back on Merseyside, the demands on him are only growing. Liverpool need Gakpo to shoulder more responsibility next season, potentially through the middle. With Hugo Ekitike sidelined until at least January after rupturing his Achilles, the forward line requires solutions, not fresh headaches.

Yet the noise around his future refuses to die down.

Tottenham Hotspur have placed Gakpo on their winger shortlist. Manchester United, who pushed hard for him before he left PSV, are again being mentioned as a possible destination in what would be one of the most contentious moves of the Premier League era.

Speaking to The United Stand, reporter Ben Jacobs underlined both the admiration and the obstacles.

“He has always been somewhat appreciated, but we know that Man Utd and Liverpool just don’t really do business,” Jacobs said, summing up decades of rivalry and reluctance in one line.

“So, whether or not that could possibly get off the ground, I’m not so sure.

“There are denials, despite recent reports in the Netherlands, that Gakpo has asked in any way, shape, or form to leave.

“So, Liverpool are quite calm about the situation, but Tottenham might consider that deal. And all we can say is Man Utd loved Gakpo before he joined Liverpool.

“If Gakpo specifically asks to leave Liverpool, then let’s see whether Premier League clubs come forward. And it seems like Tottenham are the most concrete suitor.”

That last point matters. Spurs, not United, currently sit in the strongest position should the door open. They have identified the 27-year-old as one of several wide targets, alongside Rafael Leao, Savinho and Antonio Nusa, as they look to refresh their attacking options.

United, by contrast, are more of a lurking presence. Their admiration dates back to 2022, when Erik ten Hag, newly in the Old Trafford dugout, urged the club to move for Gakpo after his explosive rise at PSV. At that time, he was the standout talent in Eindhoven, the best and most exciting player in the Eredivisie.

United hesitated. Liverpool did not.

In December of that year, Liverpool struck a £35 million agreement with PSV, wrapping up the deal ahead of the January window and beating United to a player many at Carrington believed was tailor-made for their rebuild.

Since then, United have kept watching. Scouting reports have continued to land on desks. The appreciation has never cooled. But admiration is one thing; prising a player away from Anfield is something else entirely.

Liverpool, for their part, are not pushing Gakpo towards the exit. The club are described as calm about his situation, and there are clear denials that he has formally asked to leave. That stance does not mean he is untouchable. It does mean the bar is high.

An offer in the region of £70 million or more would at least force a conversation. Below that, Liverpool can simply point to his age, versatility and flashes of elite-level performance and say no.

So the landscape looks like this: a forward who has underwhelmed in one campaign but still carries the aura of a big-game player; a Liverpool side that needs him to rise rather than run; a Tottenham project that sees him as a potential centrepiece; and a Manchester United hierarchy still drawn to the one that got away.

The rivalry between United and Liverpool has long made direct transfers feel almost impossible. If Gakpo ever does decide he wants out, the first serious move is more likely to come from north London than from across the M62.

The question now is simple: if Cody Gakpo pushes for a new chapter, who will be bold enough – and rich enough – to write it?