Cody Gakpo reveals Virgil van Dijk role in Liverpool transfer

Cody Gakpo has confessed he chose to join Liverpool after speaking with fellow Dutchman Virgil van Dijk.

Van Dijk has been a fan favourite since his move to Liverpool in January 2018 and, four years later, he is set to be joined by another Dutch international after the Reds agreed to pay an initial £37m to bring Gakpo in from PSV Eindhoven.

Gakpo had initially been expected to join Manchester United after months of public flirting, but the forward has now revealed how Van Dijk helped him choose Liverpool instead.

“We spoke a lot over the phone [in] the last days,” Gakpo told Sky Sports News.

“What he told me was that this is the right move for me to make and for me to develop and to become a better player, that the club is a really big and massive club but also like a real family – I think that’s also very important for me because I’m a family guy. He said only good things.

“I’m also happy that he’s here, so he can help me with some stuff. I’m really grateful to be here.”

Gakpo joins a stacked forward line at Anfield but may see plenty of opportunities to impress early on due to injuries to Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, whose absences left Liverpool without a natural left winger before this latest signing.

Jurgen Klopp now has a selection of Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino to choose from in the short run, with Diaz and Jota expected to return to training in the new year.