Liverpool have confirmed the signing of PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo in a deal worth €50million (£44m).
It was revealed on Boxing Day that the two clubs had come to an agreement for Gakpo’s sale, before the forward put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League outfit, passing his medical without a hitch.
There had been interest from a number of English teams – with rivals Man United also scoping out a potential deal – but the Merseyside club emerged victorious in their chase for the 23-year-old after acting swiftly to secure the deal.
Liverpool have confirmed the £44million signing of PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo
Jurgen Klopp’s side struck a deal on Boxing Day before finalising a move throughout the week
Gakpo told the Liverpool website: ‘I feel really good, I’m really excited to be here. I’m looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club.
‘I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years.
‘I think for me personally it’s also good to develop here and there’s a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from.’
He added: ‘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.
Gakpo scored three goals for his national side during their World Cup campaign in Qatar
‘Obviously [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.
‘I’m really thankful that everybody is giving me such a warm welcome and I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody in the stadium and around the city.’
The forward has been in scintillating form for his domestic side this year and has already contributed nine goals and 12 assists from 14 Eredivisie matches this term.
The 23-year-old’s signing comes amid concerns over Luis Diaz’s injury – following his knee surgery – while Darwin Nunez is struggling to find his rhythm up-front.