Cody Gakpo Transfer Speculation: Liverpool Open to Offers

Liverpool’s American owners have made up their minds. Cody Gakpo is no longer untouchable.

After a limp title defence and a season when too many big names shrank, Fenway Sports Group are ready to listen to offers for the Dutch forward – and that knowledge has not gone unnoticed in north London, where Tottenham are circling.

Gakpo on the market

Gakpo arrived at Anfield with the numbers and reputation to match Liverpool’s ambitions. A 121-goal forward, a World Cup breakout star, a player built for the modern wide role. Last season, that profile felt like a distant memory.

Like so many in red, his form nosedived across a disjointed 2025/26 campaign. The team’s title defence fizzled out, the football turned slow and predictable, and Anfield’s patience snapped. The fallout claimed Arne Slot, whose short reign ended with accusations of pedestrian play and a broken bond with the supporters. And now it may claim Gakpo too.

Journalist David Lynch, speaking on Anfield Index, revealed that inside the club, the idea of a sale is not just being floated – it is being actively entertained.

“I was really, really surprised,” Lynch admitted. “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.’”

That response underlines a shift. This is no longer about protecting an asset and hoping a new manager revives him. It is about hard choices and a squad reset under Andoni Iraola.

Lynch stressed there is no guarantee Gakpo leaves, but the stance from Liverpool is clear: if a serious bid lands on the table, they will accept.

“If an offer on the table comes in that is good enough, then Liverpool will 100 per cent accept it,” he said. “So, one to definitely keep an eye on.”

Tottenham already are. Spurs sense an opportunity to prise a proven goalscorer away from a rival, and Gakpo’s concern over reduced minutes in Iraola’s high-intensity, pressing system has only added fuel to the speculation.

No transfer request – but a door is open

Talk in the Netherlands that Gakpo is ready to force his way out has been dismissed by Lynch. There has been no formal request, no showdown with the hierarchy.

“One thing that was played down, this idea that he’s asked to leave, is nonsense,” he said.

For now, Gakpo’s attention is on the World Cup. Once that ends, the picture could change quickly. Suitors know Liverpool are open to doing business. The player knows his role may shrink under a new manager. The ingredients for a summer move are all there.

“It does rely on people stumping up the money, but it seems there’s interest in him,” Lynch noted. “So, if that happens, we could be saying goodbye to Gakpo.”

If Liverpool do say goodbye, the next question is obvious: who replaces him?

Barcola: the £78m winger on Liverpool’s radar

Liverpool’s recruitment team have already been busy out wide. A deal for Victor Munoz has been wrapped up, and Yan Diomande remains the club’s primary attacking target. Even so, the door is not closed on a third winger arriving before the window shuts.

Inside the club, one name keeps resurfacing: Bradley Barcola.

The PSG winger, rated at around €90m (£78m), has long been on Liverpool’s list. Lynch, who has tracked the club’s interest, believes a move is far from fantasy – provided the dominoes fall in their favour.

“For me, that feels very feasible,” he said. “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 been linked and competition is expected, but Liverpool’s admiration is longstanding. Barcola’s versatility only strengthens the case. He can operate on either flank, drift inside, and although he prefers the left, he offers Iraola the kind of fluid attacking option his system thrives on.

“I’ve been reporting for a long time that Barcola’s a player of interest,” Lynch said. Earlier in the summer, the feeling was that Diomande was the priority and Barcola more of a contingency. That view is evolving.

“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.”

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has already underlined that Iraola “loves” Barcola and pointed to a key detail in the winger’s contract that could aid Liverpool’s cause. PSG’s willingness to cash in at the right price may yet turn quiet admiration into a full-blown pursuit.

Diomande still the priority – for now

Amid all the noise around Gakpo and Barcola, one truth remains: FSG’s main focus is still Yan Diomande.

Liverpool are locked in negotiations with RB Leipzig, and frustration is growing in the player’s camp as they wait for the clubs to thrash out terms. Those close to the deal believe a record-breaking agreement could be completed “in one or two days” if Liverpool push it over the line.

That is the balancing act at Anfield this summer. Rebuild the attack without losing too much firepower. Back a demanding new head coach while managing a tight budget and strict internal valuations. Decide whether a misfiring but talented forward like Gakpo deserves another season – or whether now is the time to cash in and reshape the front line around fresher legs.

Liverpool’s stance on Gakpo suggests sentiment will not get in the way. If the right bid lands and Barcola becomes available, the club may yet rip up a forward line that only two years ago looked set for the long term.

The question now is simple: who blinks first – the clubs circling Gakpo, or Liverpool, as they weigh up whether this is the summer to gamble on a new era in attack?