Man City contact Liverpool star over stunning £70m transfer | OneFootball

Manchester City have approached Liverpool star Cody Gakpo as they consider hijacking Tottenham Hotspur’s move for the Dutch winger, according to a report.

Gakpo has been heavily linked with a move away from Liverpool in recent weeks as the Reds hold talks for wingers Bradley Barcola and Yankuba Minteh. Liverpool are not actively looking to sell Gakpo, but they would consider any major bids that come in.

Gakpo struggled at times for Liverpool last season, as did many of his team-mates, though the 27-year-old did regain confidence by netting three goals for the Netherlands at the World Cup.

Spurs have agreed a £135million double deal with Man City for Savinho and Omar Marmoush, and Roberto De Zerbi is targeting Gakpo as his third attacking signing.

As per Dutch source SoccerNews.nl, Spurs have failed with an opening £60m offer for Gakpo.

Spurs ‘have no intention of abandoning their pursuit and are preparing a new bid’, the report states.

Previous reports have claimed Liverpool want £70m to sell the versatile forward.

But Spurs’ chase could now be complicated by the fact City have surprisingly entered the frame.

Enzo Maresca’s side are ‘keeping a close eye’ on Gakpo’s situation and have ‘made their interest known to the player’ by approaching him over a shock transfer.

City are now weighing up whether to make formal contact with Liverpool to begin transfer talks.

Landing Gakpo would help City to replace Savinho. However, there is one important reason why Gakpo is likely to join Spurs instead.

Man City, Tottenham both keen on Cody Gakpo

The report explains how City want to sign Gakpo to improve their ‘squad depth’, whereas Spurs ‘intend to give him a key role’.

Gakpo wants to continue starting Premier League matches regularly if he leaves Liverpool, so Spurs’ offer will be particularly attractive to him.

The lure of playing under Pep Guardiola helped City to sign plenty of big names across recent years, but they do not quite have the same transfer pull now that Maresca is in charge.

It is currently unclear whether Maresca will be able to re-create part of the Guardiola magic at the Etihad, or if he will struggle to fill the legend’s shoes.

Due to these factors, Spurs can likely still be considered frontrunners for Gakpo, despite City reportedly entering the mix.