Virgil van Dijk has made it clear that he wants Cody Gakpo to remain at Liverpool as Manchester City reportedly steps up its interest in the Netherlands forward ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
Gakpo’s place in the Liverpool attack could come under increased competition following the arrival of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal that could rise to £123 million ($166 million). The fee would make the French forward the second-most expensive signing in Premier League history.
Gakpo, however, has been an important figure at Anfield since his arrival three-and-a-half years ago. The 27-year-old has scored 51 goals for Liverpool and played a significant role in its 20th English top-flight triumph in the 2024-25 season.
He has also started the new campaign brightly, contributing a goal and an assist as Liverpool drew its opening two Premier League matches under Andoni Iraola, both by 2-2 scorelines against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool is reportedly willing to consider offers for Gakpo, with Manchester City said to be preparing a £75 million move.
“He’s a quality player and I think we should keep quality players, but let’s see what the next three days bring,” Van Dijk said.
“Obviously it’s pretty clear that I want him to stay, not only because he is the quality player that he is, but also he’s a friend of mine and I think he will be very important for us.”
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Barcola, meanwhile, has opted for a move to England from European champion PSG despite Liverpool coming off a difficult campaign in which it finished fifth in the Premier League.
Van Dijk said the club’s recent struggles had done little to diminish its appeal to leading players.
“I think Liverpool are still one of the biggest clubs in the world. Obviously we all know that we’re going through a transition and you either want to be part of it or you don’t. I’m part of it now,” he said.
“He’s (Barcola) a very good player. If he comes he’ll be welcomed with open arms but until it’s there, there’s no point speaking about it now.”
Iraola, who replaced the sacked Arne Slot, has endured a challenging start as Liverpool’s defensive problems were exposed in its opening two matches.
The Reds, however, recovered from behind twice in both games to rescue draws, something Van Dijk viewed positively while admitting there was considerable room for improvement.
“It takes some time but obviously we all want it to work as soon as possible and for 90 minutes,” he said.
“That’s now two games in a row we’ve had to fight back. Obviously it’s a good sign that we fight back but I think we can still do much better than what we have been showing.
“We have to score more, we have to concede less. Nottingham Forest came here three times in the last three seasons and came away unbeaten, and that shouldn’t happen.”
(With inputs from AFP).
Published on Aug 30, 2026
