Aheed Abrar
PSV Eindhoven director John de Jong reveals details of deal with Manchester United for Cody Gakpo
Manchester United had a substantial interest in PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo this transfer window. The Eredivisie outfit’s sporting director John de Jong has revealed how close the Red Devils came to signing the 23-year-old forward.
United were seemingly scrambling to bring in an attacker to bolster Erik ten Hag’s forward options this summer. And Gakpo was a name the Manchester-based club had an eye on.
Speaking to Voetbal International (h/t Manchester Evening News), the Dutch outfit’s sporting director disclosed that United were interested in Gakpo from the start. At one point, a deal looked close. However, in the end, nothing materialised for the 23-year-old’s move to Manchester.
“Manchester United signed up at the beginning of the transfer period. They expressed their interest. But after that, it took a long time.
“In the end, as management, we had talks with United between the games against Rangers. Then it seemed to get more concrete, but that faded and at the end of the window the option to sell him to United was no longer there.”
The addition of a new winger was on top of the list for the Red Devils this summer. While Antony was the chosen one, Gakpo was also an option for Ten Hag’s side to bring in through the Old Trafford doors.
United got Antony instead
The final days saw United focus on the signing of the Ajax star and got a deal for the Brazilian over the line. Subsequently, the PSV forward was no longer of any real interest to the Manchester-based club.
United were evidently looking at adding to United’s squad after the depletion of options up front. Edinson Cavani left the club at the end of last season. Cristiano Ronaldo was also apparently angling for a move away from Manchester.
Considering the poor showing from our attack in the 2021/22 campaign, fans wanted the management to go into the market and get quality forwards in.
Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were blowing cold until the arrival of Ten Hag. While the first two games of the new season were not encouraging, we have since won four games on the trot. And the English duo have been essential in that run.
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United failed to get Gakpo this summer. It remains to be seen whether the Red Devils will reignite their interest in the future.
