Gakpo, who scored three goals at the World Cup for the Netherlands, had previously been linked with a move to Liverpool’s rivals Manchester United.
Liverpool has beaten off competition from a number of clubs to sign World Cup star Cody Gakpo from PSV, the Dutch club announced on Monday.
“The 23-year-old attacker will leave for England imminently where he will be subjected to the necessary formalities ahead of the completion of the transfer. Both clubs are not making any announcements about the transfer fee,”PSV said in a statement.
The transfer, which PSV say is a record transfer for the club, will reportedly cost Liverpool £37 million, with the possibility of an additional £13 million in add-ons.
Gakpo’s price went up after scoring three goals in five appearances during the World Cup before the Netherlands was knocked out at the quarter-final stage on penalties to Argentina.
Manchester United, a rival of Liverpool, had expressed interest in Gakpo in the summer but decided to sign Antony from Ajax instead. However, recent reports claimed that United was considering signing the Netherlands international in the upcoming January transfer window following Cristiano Ronaldo’s dramatic exit.
“We are aware we lost a striker, so I think we have to get a striker in, but it has to be the right one,” United manager Erik ten Hag recently told the press.
Southampton rejected an offer for Gakpo in the summer, while Leeds and Chelsea were also keen on the 23-year-old, according to reports.
Gakpo, who has 13 goals and 17 assists for his team this season across all competitions, was expected to end up at Old Trafford.
Arsenal, the league’s top team, had also been linked to him since Gabriel Jesus was expected to miss a significant amount of time due to a knee injury for which he had surgery earlier in December.
Gakpo’s arrival at Liverpool is another significant boost for the club’s frontline, following the arrivals of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez in the past year.
Liverpool won at Aston Villa on Monday to remain sixth in the Premier League,
five points outside the top four places that secure qualification to the Champions League after a poor start to the season.
