Liverpool are aiming to steal a march on Manchester United having entered advanced talks to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven in the January transfer window.
The Red Devils have been in negotiating a deal for the highly-regarded Netherlands forward, who scored three goals in five appearances at the World Cup in Qatar. United's interest has prompted Liverpool to act on their own desire to sign Gakpo, and Jurgen Klopp's staff worked over Christmas as talks reached an advanced stage.
Mirror Football understands Virgil van Dijk has played an important role persuading his fellow Dutchman to move to Anfield. Further, Liverpool's negotiations with PSV have gone smoothly as they are willing to pay much of the transfer fee up front, whereas United would prefer a different payment structure.
