In the first two rounds of the World Cup in Qatar, the Netherlands won 1 and drew 1, scoring a total of 3 goals. Among them, the 23-year-old striker Gakpo, who plays for PSV Eindhoven, has contributed two goals - one each against Senegal and Ecuador, and has scored in two consecutive matches.
With his important contribution to the Netherlands at the World Cup and his good performances at the club this season, Gakpo has once again been a target for big teams. According to Dutch journalists, Gakpo has already gained the attention of the four giants of the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga.
After the Netherlands' 1-1 draw with Ecuador, PSV Eindhoven's reporter Mark Timol revealed on social media: "As the eyes of the world turn to the World Cup, many giants have started conversations with Gakpo's agent team. These include Manchester United, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich. PSV Eindhoven wants to sell for more than 50 million euros, but that doesn't mean Gakpo will definitely leave. ”
In fact, Gakpo had a transfer scandal with Manchester United in the summer window this year. At the time, Gakpo had spoken personally about United's interest in him. Manchester United's current manager Ten Hag has learned how good Gakpo is many times when he was Ajax manager. Ten Hag and Manchester United ultimately opted to bring in Anthony from Ajax, but the possibility of continuing to chase Gakpo in 2023 is still not ruled out.
In an interview with The Times last month, Gakpo revealed: "I was close to leaving PSV Eindhoven at one point, I had a few conversations with Ten Hag, but in the end the deal didn't go through, which is a shame for my career development because Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world. This is also a shame for PSV Eindhoven and it is also a good thing for PSV Eindhoven if there are players who can move to Manchester United. ”
Gakpo added: "The transfer to Manchester United came to an end a week before the transfer window closed. I had to decide if I wanted to join Leeds or Southampton and I chose to stay at PSV Eindhoven and it was a really stressful time. ”
Gakpo has not only started his role in the Dutch national team, but has also delivered impressive results at the club, having scored 13 goals this season at PSV Eindhoven.