Manchester United may have suspended Mason Greenwood following allegations of rape and sexual assault, but the Reds Devils aren’t short of wide forwards. Ralf Rangnick has Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga at his disposal, but Tom Hopkinson of the Mirror says United are ‘weighing up a move’ for PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo.
The 22-year-old has popped up on the Red Devils’ radar after contributing 17 goals from 39 games in 2019/20 and contributing 14 goals from 29 games in 2020/21. Gakpo has been outstanding this season too, scoring 13 goals and making 13 assists in 33 games, so it’s no surprise why United want to bring him to Old Trafford.
Gakpo signed a new deal with PSV in January which expires in four-and-a-half years, so the Eredivisie outfit are under no obligation to cash in early. They currently sit second in the table, two points adrift of Ajax, so there’s a lot of play for at the Philips Stadium. That being said, developing young talent and selling for a big profit has been PSV’s transfer policy for some time – Denzel Dumfries and Donyell Malen were sold to Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Manchester City have been linked with Gakpo, so there’s stiff competition for his signature too.
Gakpo’s asking price is believed to be around €40m (£33.4m), but United may have to pay over the odds if a bidding war ensues. The Netherlands international looks to have a bright future, but it remains to be seen where he’ll end up if he leaves PSV.
Summary
Man Utd are fourth in the Premier League for shots per game (14.6) and fifth in the league for goals (44), so they’re a team that Gakpo could flourish at. There’s no suggestion of an official bid coming PSV’s way, however, so this is still all speculation.
