Cody Gakpo's Future in Jeopardy as Liverpool Opens Transfer Talks
Liverpool’s owners FSG have drawn a hard line over Cody Gakpo – and it could open the door to one of Europe’s most coveted young wingers.
The Dutchman’s future, once considered secure at Anfield, is suddenly very much in play. Tottenham are watching closely. Liverpool, for the first time, are listening.
Gakpo on the market – if the money is right
Gakpo’s decline has mirrored Liverpool’s dismal defence of their Premier League title in 2025/26. The intensity vanished, the goals dried up, and the champions slipped badly. Arne Slot paid with his job, his cautious football and fractured relationship with supporters leaving FSG with little hesitation in turning to Andoni Iraola.
In that wider reset, Gakpo has become a symbol of the team’s drop-off. Once a marquee attacking signing, now a lightning rod for criticism. Whispers that he could seek a move have grown louder, particularly in the Netherlands, where reports suggest he fears reduced minutes under Iraola.
Tottenham have sensed an opening. A 121-goal winger, still in his prime, potentially available from a rival. That is the profile that makes recruitment departments sit up.
Journalist David Lynch, speaking on Anfield Index, revealed that Liverpool’s stance has shifted more than most realised.
“I was really, really surprised, I’ll be honest, when I kind of had a conversation about this just before I went away,” he said. “I said, surely there’s no chance Gakpo’s on the way this summer, they’ve got so much to do already. The answer I got back was kind of ‘hmm, nah, we could sell him.’”
The message from inside the club is clear. Gakpo is no longer untouchable.
“I really didn’t expect that personally,” Lynch continued. “I thought Liverpool would just totally acknowledge that he’s got his flaws, but give him one more season, see where he’s up to and what they can get out of him from a new manager. But he very much seems to me to be up for a possible sale this summer.
“That’s not to say he’s guaranteed to go, but if an offer on the table comes in that is good enough, then Liverpool will 100 per cent accept it. I just didn’t expect that at all. So, one to definitely keep an eye on.”
Tottenham, and any other suitors, now know the rules of engagement: bring serious money, and Liverpool will talk.
No transfer request – but a World Cup hinge point
What Gakpo has not done, despite the noise, is slap in a transfer request.
Lynch moved quickly to cool that particular narrative.
“One thing that was played down, this idea that he’s asked to leave, is nonsense,” he said. “At the moment, the player’s focus is on the World Cup as I understand it, but maybe when he comes back, there’s a real chance for him to go. It does rely on people stumping up the money, but it seems there’s interest in him. So, if that happens, we could be saying goodbye to Gakpo.”
The World Cup now looms as a pivot point. A strong tournament could harden Liverpool’s resolve on the fee. It could also embolden clubs like Spurs to move decisively.
If that happens, Liverpool already have a name circled in red.
Barcola: the £78m winger Liverpool admire
While the bulk of Liverpool’s summer planning has revolved around Yan Diomande, the recruitment team have not stopped scanning the winger market. Victor Munoz has already arrived, but a third wide forward remains firmly on the table if Gakpo departs.
High on that list sits Bradley Barcola.
The PSG and France winger, rated at around €90m (£78m), has been on Liverpool’s radar for some time. His situation in Paris is being monitored closely amid suggestions the French champions could be tempted to cash in.
“For me, that feels very feasible,” Lynch said of a potential move. “There are so many things that have to happen here. Gakpo has to go; the bid has to be right, and that probably happens after his World Cup campaign. Then Barcola will have to be in a position where PSG are willing to let him leave. He’s got to pick them [Liverpool].”
That last point matters. Arsenal have also been linked. Any chase for Barcola will not be uncontested.
“But I’ve been reporting for a long time that Barcola’s a player of interest,” Lynch added. “Earlier in the summer, I felt that they want Diomande, if they can’t get him, then maybe the door is open to Barcola, but the fact that he’s someone that they do like, he can play on either side and centrally, though he primarily prefers the left, it does make sense that he’d be someone they’d pursue if they do lose Gakpo.”
If Gakpo goes, then he would need to be replaced. And I don’t think Diomande and Ngumoha are seen as replacements. I would watch that one, it feels like it’s not taking too huge a leap to say it’s a possibility to see Gakpo going and Barcola coming in.
The profile fits Liverpool’s recent transfer logic: young, versatile, technically sharp, capable of operating across the front line but happiest drifting in from the left. In other words, a like-for-like stylistic successor to the version of Gakpo they thought they were getting – only with a different ceiling and a different trajectory.
Fabrizio Romano has already underlined that Barcola is a player Iraola “loves”, and highlighted a detail in his contract that could yet strengthen Liverpool’s hand if PSG decide to negotiate.
Diomande remains priority – but pressure is building
All of this unfolds against a backdrop where FSG’s primary objective has not changed. Diomande remains the number one target.
Liverpool have been locked in discussions with RB Leipzig, working towards what has been described as a potentially record-breaking agreement. Inside the player’s camp, patience is wearing thin as they wait for the clubs to find common ground, with claims a deal could be wrapped up in “one or two days” if the final gap is bridged.
The hierarchy at Anfield must therefore juggle two major attacking decisions at once: land Diomande, decide Gakpo’s fate, and be ready to move if Barcola becomes attainable.
If Tottenham, or anyone else, test Liverpool’s resolve with a serious offer for Gakpo after the World Cup, FSG will not hesitate. The real question is whether the summer ends with a straight sale, or with a bold reshaping of the forward line that ushers in Barcola as the next big act on the Anfield stage.
