Tyrell Malacia has insisted that his Netherlands teammate Cody Gakpo is "good enough for the top" as the forward continues to be linked with a January switch to Manchester United.
United are avid admirers of Gakpo and were close to pulling the trigger on a £25million move for the PSV Eindhoven star in the summer. And although Erik ten Hag eventually decided to press ahead with a mega-money deal for Antony, United are still courting Gakpo ahead of the January transfer window.
The 23-year-old has dazzled on the global stage for his country and is currently the World Cup's joint-leading goalscorer along with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Marcus Rashford after plundering three goals in four games for the quarter-finalists.
Gakpo's performances in Qatar could be enough to entice PSV to cash in on their star forward whilst his stock is high. Mirror Football understands that the Dutch giants are likely to demand at least £50m for Gakpo in the wake of his World Cup heroics.
Malacia made the switch from the Eredivisie to Old Trafford in the summer to become the first signing of the Ten Hag era. And the left-back has told The Athletic that his international colleague is more than capable of following in his footsteps, insisting: "He's good enough for the top, there's no doubt."
Gakpo, meanwhile, batted away questions about his future. "I have to be honest, I am not thinking about that now," he said following Saturday night's impressive 3-1 win over USMNT in the Round of 16.
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"I am focused on the tournament and want to keep performing well, to keep helping the team. Hopefully, when we become world champions we can think about other things. I try to keep focused and the other players don’t really speak about that kind of thing."
As well as interest from Manchester United, recent reports have claimed that Real Madrid are also courting Gakpo, who has already chalked up a staggering 30 goal contributions in just 24 games for PSV this season.
While it remains to be seen if United, who are currently rebuilding under Ten Hag, would be able to compete with the Spanish giants if they do firm up their interest, the Old Trafford hierarchy is likely to sanction a move for a forward following Cristiano Ronaldo's abrupt exit a fortnight ago.
The 37-year-old agreed to tear up the final six months of his lucrative contract at the club less than a week after tearing into Ten Hag and the Glazer family in a remarkable interview with Piers Morgan. Ronaldo had not been a regular starter under Ten Hag but it is believed the Dutchman would like to acquire another attacking player to fill the void left by the Portuguese veteran.
