‘Bigger clubs’ - Leeds United dealt ‘bad news’ in race for Man Utd and Arsenal target

There had been reports of an agreed deal with recent days.
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Leeds United have reportedly been delivered a major blow in the transfer market after claims emerged suggesting Dutch forward Cody Gakpo is not interested in a move to Elland Road.

The PSV Eindhoven star has been in fine form over the last year and has attracted interest from a number of clubs around Europe.  Although the 23-year-old initially broke into the first-team setup in the second-half of the 2017/18 season, it is over the last two seasons where his career has gone into overdrive.

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On the opening day of the 2020/21 campaign, Gakpo netted twice in PSV’s 3-1 win over Groningen and ended a progressive season with 11 goals in 29 appearances as his side finished in second place in the Eredivisie.  His development continued last season with 21 goals in 47 appearances as the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool all considered moves throughout the summer.

Speaking about the race for their prized asset, PSV director of football Marcel Brands said recently: “I can say with my hand on my heart that there has been no offer for Cody to which the management or the supervisory board have said: we must do this. We did state that if there were certain offers, we would have to sell. Not only from a financial point of view, but also because agreements were made with the Gakpo camp before my time.”

Remaining at PSV, Gakpo has made a stunning start to the current season, scoring 13 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions and he also found the net for Holland in their recent Nations League win over Poland. Leeds were believed to have shown an interest in the forward during the summer and there were reports the Whites had ‘struck an agreement’ to sign Gakpo ahead of the January transfer window.

However, German journalist Florian Plettenberg has ‘confirmed again’ that the Dutch star is not interested in a move to Elland Road and is waiting for ‘bigger clubs’ to make an offer for his services.

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