Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven on a five-and-a-half-year deal.
Jurgen Klopp had been keen to add to his attacking options in the January transfer window following long-term injuries to both Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz and Netherlands international Gakpo was made the club's primary target.
The official fee is undisclosed but the ECHO understands Gakpo will cost the Reds around £40m. Liverpool have tracked the 23-year-old for some time and decided to make their move after his increasingly impressive performances for both PSV and the Netherlands, who he scored three times for in five World Cup fixtures in Qatar.
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Liverpool had initially earmarked the forward, who is the Eredivisie's top scorer so far this term with nine, for the summer months but were forced to expedite talks with PSV following strong interest from Manchester United among others.
With Diaz sidelined until March following knee surgery and Jota not expected back until February, Liverpool felt it made sense to try and bring Gakpo to Anfield in the winter once it became clear the Dutch side were open to doing business.
Talks between Liverpool's sporting director Julian Ward and his counterpart in Holland, Marcel Brands, escalated just before Christmas. The specifics of the deal are understood to have been thrashed out over three days of talks between Ward and Brands before the selling club confirmed an agreement had been reached on December 26.
An official statement from PSV on Boxing Night read: "PSV and Liverpool FC have reached an agreement on the proposed transfer of Cody Gakpo. 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."
The deal for Gakop has been likened to that of Diaz's at the end of January when he was brought to the club from Porto for an initial £37m. The Reds had planned to sign the Colombia international in the summer but were forced to bring forward their plans following strong interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
It's a similar situation for the 23-year-old Gakpo with United boss Erik ten Hag believed to be a long-term admirer of the PSV attacker who registered 21 goals last term to win the Dutch Player of the Year.
Gakpo's age and profile as a versatile attacker make him an intriguing prospect for Klopp to work with and the Netherlands international continues Liverpool's long-term policy of refreshing their attacking department and lowering the average age of those up top at Anfield.
His arrival means the Reds have laid out around £140m for Gakpo (23), Diaz (25) and Darwin Nunez (23) inside the last 12 months, while 26-year-old Diogo Jota was handed a new contract as reward for his efforts in August.
Gakpo's arrival means he will be eligible to make his Liverpool debut at Brentford on January 2 but it's understood the Dutchman will be treated like a World Cup returnee at Anfield with Klopp keen to expose the attacker to as much first-team training as possible before he is given a taste of Premier League action.
With both Diaz and Jota sidelined and Roberto Firmino suffering with a calf issue, however, Liverpool's options are stretched up top at present, meaning Gakpo may be included in the match-day squad in west London.
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