Cody Gakpo came close to joining Manchester United (Photo by Dave Howarth – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo admits he was close to joining Manchester United before his move to Anfield.
The Dutchman joined Jurgen Klopp’s side in a £40m move from PSV Eindhoven 12 months ago.
His move to Merseyside came just six months after the Netherlands international saw a move to Old Trafford fall through.
After a sensational season in Holland – where Erik ten Hag was an onlooker as Ajax boss – Gakpo was tipped to join the Dutchman at Old Trafford.
United were keen to sign a new forward, but they left it until the final week of the window to spend £85m on Ajax winger Antony.
That’s despite Gakpo being available for considerably less, and the fact he can play in a variety of positions.
Gakpo signed for Liverpool six months later (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
And the forward admits he was in regular contact with Ten Hag before the deal fell through.
‘Yeah I think it was the summer before that I was in contact with the club,’ Gakpo told SkySports.
‘I spoke to the manager as well. He’s dutch, obviously, so I spoke to him.
‘In the end it didn’t go through and that’s just it. In the winter came Liverpool and it was the best decision for me.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Manchester United news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.