Netherlands hot-shot Cody Gakpo has admitted "anything is possible" this January as he refused to rule out a move to Manchester United.
The PSV Eindhoven forward has been in scintillating form at the World Cup in Qatar, scoring two of Netherlands' goal in the tournament thus far. Gakpo opened the scoring in each of Netherlands' group matches, effectively snatching a win against Senegal before rifling in a strike to break the deadlock vs Ecuador.
His performances have already set the World Cup alight and captured the attention of Europe's elite with the transfer window set to open again next month. United are in need of a new striker following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, and they already made an approach for Gakpo over the summer.
Erik ten Hag eventually had to accept he could not add Gakpo to his squad before the season began due to the club forking out more than £200million on new signings, including on former Ajax forward Antony. However, Ten Hag is likely to still hold an interest in signing Gakpo, who has opened up on rumours of a potential switch to Old Trafford.
“I’m focused now on the World Cup," he said at a press conference. "It’s always nice to hear [transfer rumours] but I just focus here and do my best. I don’t get shy about the rumours. But it’s a team sport, it’s not about one person.
"I prefer it to be about the team. It’s nice things that people write, but I’m not too concerned with that. Right now I’m busy with the Dutch team. I’ll see what happens in the winter. In football, anything is possible.”
While Gakpo was seemingly non-committal, his decision to not rule out a transfer suggests he would be open to leaving PSG. The 23-year-old came close to leaving just months ago when several Premier League clubs, including Leeds United and Southampton, were rivalling the Red Devils for his signature.
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“I was close to leaving,” Gakpo admitted to The Times last month. “I spoke to Erik ten Hag a few times at Manchester United.
“In the end, the deal didn’t go through, which was a shame for me and my development. Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world. But also (a shame) for PSV because to transfer a player to Manchester United is a good thing for the club.
“(In the final week of the window) I had to decide if I would go to Leeds or Southampton. In the end, I stayed. But it was a stressful period.”
In addition to his World Cup exploits, Gakpo has been averaging more than a goal every two games for his club side, netting 13 times in 24 appearances so far this season. PSV's CEO Marcel Brands also revealed the nature of Leeds' bid, which the club deliberated over but eventually decided to reject, though conceded they would be powerless if United - or one of their main rivals - came back to the table.
" Liverpool is a club that is always very focused," Brands told ESPN NL earlier this month. “Sometimes they get players for the next season in November. Would they be a good partner to send Gakpo in the summer? Yes, that's right.
" Leeds United offered €30million with €11m as a bonus," Brands claimed. “Six of them were to be payed if Leeds reached the Champions League. People said and wrote a lot about this, but no one within the organisation of PSV wanted to accept this.
"If United offered the money that we wanted to have for Cody, then we would've sold him. You can not stop him then. With bonuses we wanted to go up until €50m."
