Gakpo confirms Liverpool U-turn blocked Manchester City move after 'tough summer'

Gakpo confirms Liverpool reversed course on City switch

Cody Gakpo has broken his silence on a "very tough" summer that ended with the collapse of a proposed transfer to Manchester City, confirming that Liverpool reversed their decision to let him join their top-flight rivals. The forward was an £80m target for City in August before talks stalled, and he has now revealed the extent of a tumultuous few months on and off the pitch.

Gakpo, who scored a superb stoppage-time equaliser to earn the Netherlands a 1-1 draw in Thursday's Nations League tie against Germany, was asked whether he thought he was going to leave Liverpool this summer. "It was a difficult summer for me, and my family, and everything surrounding football and life," he said. "I just let it come, and it ended how it ended."

When it was put to the 27-year-old that Liverpool had been willing to let him go before changing their minds, he replied succinctly: "Spot on. I cannot choose. So then I have to just try to do what I'm good at, and that's playing football. I can be very worried about everything that could happen, or that didn't happen, or whatever, but that wouldn't help the situation.

"It's a very long story. The summer was very tough regarding everything. So I just let everything be and see how it came and it worked out in this way."

Personal tragedy behind a difficult few months

The collapse of the City move was far from the only hardship Gakpo faced. Earlier in the summer he was struck by tragedy, announcing with his partner, Noa van der Bij, that their second son had died during pregnancy. "It was a difficult summer for me, and my family, and everything surrounding football and life," he said, reflecting on the period.

Rather than sulk after the deal broke down, Gakpo has enjoyed a bright start to the season. He scored in Liverpool's opening-weekend draw against Newcastle and in their Carabao Cup win over Spurs, and has recorded five assists. "It's not about my character," he said. "I'm now at the point that I don't mind, I just want to enjoy football with my friends, with my teammates. I want to enjoy my life and whatever happens, happens. If I have no control over the situation, I will not worry. So I just do my job with that."

Van Dijk: 'No-brainer' to keep him

Gakpo admitted he "could do much better than I did last year" in a disappointing season for Liverpool that ended with the departure of Arne Slot. His value at Anfield was underlined by Virgil van Dijk, his national team captain and Anfield teammate, who sang Gakpo's praises following his last-gasp volley against Germany.

"If people didn't appreciate Cody before, personally I don't understand it," Van Dijk said. "But I think it was a no-brainer for us as a team and a club to keep him. There were talks but, in my eyes, you can't let him go and that's why I said it. He is a friend as well. Ours, please – let's keep it that way."

Gakpo's equaliser against a Germany side managed by his former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp served as a reminder of the form that made him such a coveted target — and of why Liverpool ultimately decided to keep hold of him.