Cody Gakpo reveals Holland team-mate Virgil van Dijk helped convince him to join Liverpool

Cody Gakpo has revealed the role Virgil van Dijk played in convincing him to join Liverpool, as he completed his move from PSV Eindhoven for an initial £37million.

Gakpo completed his medical on Wednesday and will be officially ratified as a Liverpool player once he receives his work permit. However, he was quick to praise the role of fellow Holland international and Liverpool defensive kingpin Van Dijk who was at the club’s AXA training centre to greet him.

‘We spoke a lot over the phone [in] the last days,’ said Gakpo, who will wear the number 18 shirt that was once the property of Michael Owen and his compatriot Dirk Kuyt. 

Gakpo revealed that Holland team-mate Virgil van Dijk helped convince him to join the Reds

‘What he told me was that this is the right move for me to make and for me to develop and to become a better player, that the club is a really big and massive club but also like a real family – I think that’s also very important for me because I’m a family guy. He said only good things.

‘At the moment I was calling [in] with the coach, he came into the office of the coach and then he saw me and we chatted a little bit,’ Gakpo told Liverpoolfc.com. ‘I’m also happy that he’s here, so he can help me with some stuff. I’m really grateful to be here.

‘I’m really looking forward to playing at Anfield. I heard a lot of great stories about the stadium, about the atmosphere. I cannot wait.

The Dutch striker added that Van Dijk told him Liverpool is a club where he could ‘develop’

‘My aim is to win as many prizes as we can as a team, to perform well, to show the world what we can do as a team and what I can do as a player. And personally, just to keep developing and become a better player every season.’

Liverpool moved for Gakpo once they became aware rivals such as Manchester United did not have the budget to compete in this window.

Gakpo scored three times for his country at the…