Liverpool 'fought off late rival bid' to sign Cody Gakpo

Liverpool’s surprise deal for Cody Gakpo forced another Premier League rival to make a move for the Netherlands international, but the offer was short of PSV Eindhoven’s asking price.

Gakpo was unveiled as a Liverpool player earlier this week and will become eligible to play for his new club when the transfer window opens on Sunday.

It was long expected that Gakpo would instead sign for Manchester United during the winter window, particularly as he had openly spoken about talks with Erik ten Hag during the summer.

Liverpool’s swoop for Gakpo largely flew under the radar, but their closest competitors for his signature were not the Red Devils.

Instead, Eindhovens Dagblad report that Chelsea caught wind of Liverpool’s move for Gakpo and wanted to muscle in on the action.

The Blues’ offer is said to have been in the region of £35m, but would not reach the Reds’ bid of £37m plus a further £8m in add-ons.

Chelsea are set for a busy window having already secured the signing of teenage striker David Datro Fofana, with deals for Benoit Badiashile and Christopher Nkunku in the works and Enzo Fernandez on their radar.

Badiashile is closing in on signing from Monaco, while Nkunku is set to join Chelsea at the end of the 2022/23 season. The Blues have reached an agreement with World Cup winner Fernandez, but have not come to terms on a fee with Benfica for the midfielder.