Liverpool are understood to have outlined their stance on Cody Gakpo amid reported interest from Bayern Munich.
As reported by Christian Falk for Bayern Insider last week, the Netherlands international has emerged as a summer transfer target for the Bundesliga champions.
That corroborated a claim from his German colleague Florian Plettenberg (via X), who also indicated that contact had been made from the Allianz Arena and that the Merseysiders could be open to selling the 26-year-old ‘if a suitable offer arrives’.
Liverpool name their price for Cody Gakpo
According to sources close to Empire of the Kop, Liverpool have now named their price for Gakpo as Bayern continue to hover for our number 18.
The Reds value their player at €100m (£84.2m) and are not looking to sell him this summer, but there have been suggestions that an offer in the region of €70m-€80m (£58.9m-£67.3m) could make them reconsider if Arne Slot decides to reshape his squad amid a potential attacking reshuffle.
Bavarian chiefs are continuing with talks to add the 26-year-old to their squad, with sporting director Max Eberl admiring the Dutchman’s pace and finishing ability, although they’re not in a position to make a formal transfer approach until the futures of Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman are clarified.
Gakpo is aware of the interest from Bayern and is understood to be awaiting a new contract offer from Liverpool, with his current £120,000-per-week deal running to June 2028.
Liverpool mustn’t cave in to Bayern for Gakpo, even if big money is offered
The Reds spent somewhere in the region of £35m to £45m for the forward midway through the 2022/23 season (BBC Sport), so if the German champions were to come in with a bid to match our reported asking price, it would enable the Merseyside club to reap a tidy profit on a player who’s in his prime footballing years.
However, with rumours continuing over the future of Luis Diaz (although Liverpool have flatly denied any such speculation), Slot would surely be reluctant to lose both of his left-sided attackers this summer, especially with the duo scoring 35 goals between them in the most recent campaign.
The 26-year-old has looked rejuvenated since his compatriot restored him to his favoured position on the wing, and even though his form tailed off following his injury in the spring (he netted just twice in the final three months of the season), his potency was a significant factor in LFC winning the Premier League.
With Jeremie Frimpong already through the door and prospective deals for Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez reportedly at an advanced stage, Richard Hughes isn’t hanging around as the Reds seek to put further daylight between themselves and their domestic rivals.
Therefore, Liverpool don’t need to hamper that tremendous progress by selling Gakpo to a club with whom they could plausibly be competing at the business end of the Champions League next term, even if Bayern come in with a big-money bid.
