Last summer, long before all this World Cup success, Dutch star Cody Gakpo was already being linked to Premier League clubs, with many stories from the local media claiming Leeds United had been chasing him.
Those rumours date back to June, and it turns out that speaking to the media yesterday, the PSV winger confirmed that the Whites went after him during the transfer window.
Gakpo spoke to NRC in a very interesting conversation about religion and football. They mentioned the tough period he had with PSV when knocked out of the Champions League play-offs by Rangers, and he recalled that he was thinking about a transfer at the time. That’s when Leeds United apparently tried to sign him.
“I did learn from that. I’m going to do things differently. What comes, that comes. Suppose you want to go from RKC to PSV, but that club doesn’t come. Then you can panic. I thought about Manchester United, but when that didn’t happen, I didn’t know anymore. And I started having doubts. Leeds United did come. Should I go there? Now I wait and see everything. I haven’t heard from Manchester United yet. If they come, I will think about it. In these decisions too, I seek God’s help. I ask Him what I can do best.”
Gakpo has 13 goals and 17 assists for PSV this season, as well as the three goals scored at the World Cup so far. That obviously means there should be a much bigger competition for his signing in the coming months.
The Dutch media had already been saying Leeds United’s offer would be ‘far surpassed’ if he did well in Qatar, and that’s exactly what is happening, meaning the Whites are now unlikely to be able to secure a player they tried for just months ago.
