Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Dutch attacker Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven.
The 23-year-old will officially join Jurgen Klopp's side at the start of the January transfer window and is understood to have signed a five-and-a-half year deal until the summer of 2028.
PSV announced that they had reached an agreement to sell Gakpo to Liverpool on Boxing Day, despite the expectation that Manchester United would complete a mid-season deal for the attacker.
Southampton and Leeds United also went head-to-head for Gakpo's signature in the summer transfer window, but Liverpool moved quickly to conclude a deal before the opening of the winter window.
Neither side have disclosed the transfer fee, which is known to be a record sale for PSV, but Liverpool are reportedly set to pay £37m upfront and a further £7m in performance-related bonuses.
We have reached an agreement for the transfer of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven, subject to a work permit, and the forward will join at the start of the January transfer window 🙌
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 28, 2022
"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," Gakpo told liverpoolfc.com after passing his medical and signing his contract.
"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."
Gakpo, who will wear the number 18 shirt at Liverpool, will be eligible to make his Reds debut against Brentford in the Premier League on January 2, although the FA Cup meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 7 is seen as a more likely date.
"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 Dutchman added.
© Reuters
"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."
Gakpo spent 15 years with PSV Eindhoven between 2007 and 2022, during which time he recorded 55 goals and 50 assists in 159 appearances for the Dutch giants in all tournaments.
The attacker registered a remarkable 13 goals and 17 assists in 24 matches in the first half of the 2022-23 season, while also scoring three goals in three successive World Cup 2022 group stage games for the Netherlands.
During his breakthrough spell at PSV, Gakpo won one Eredivisie title, one KNVB-Beker and two Dutch Super Cups, and he will compete with Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Fabio Carvalho for starts in a Liverpool jersey.
Ben Knapton
