Tottenham's Pursuit of Cody Gakpo Intensifies Amid Transfer Activity

Tottenham refuse to let Cody Gakpo go quiet.

Even with a £140m double deal for Omar Marmoush and Savinho on the brink of completion, Spurs are still pushing to prise the Dutch forward away from Liverpool, with Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein both flagging the move as one to watch in the final stretch of the window.

Spurs won’t drop Gakpo – even after Marmoush and Savinho

Gakpo has been at Anfield since January 2023, when he arrived from PSV Eindhoven, and despite a dip last season, his overall impact has been positive. He has responded this summer with sharp pre-season form, clearly intent on convincing new boss Andoni Iraola he deserves a central role.

Iraola is receptive. If Liverpool’s other attacking targets stall, he is prepared to keep Gakpo. That is the internal tug-of-war running alongside Tottenham’s aggressive pursuit.

Behind the scenes, talks have already taken place over a switch to north London. Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, underlined just how live the situation remains.

“Don’t forget Cody Gakpo,” he stressed. Savinho is already heading to London for medical tests and to sign his contract. Marmoush is lined up to follow as a centre-forward, a deal Romano expects to go through in the coming days.

The plan at Spurs has been clear: a right winger, a left winger and a central striker. Marmoush ticks the middle box. Savinho offers one wide option. For the left flank, the name that refuses to move off the board is Gakpo.

Romano says Tottenham are deep into work on the player’s side, with personal terms not viewed as a problem. The real battle sits between the clubs.

Tottenham, he insists, “remain absolutely on it” with Liverpool. If the total fee can be agreed, Romano believes Gakpo’s time at Anfield “could be over in the next few days”. The message: keep an eye on it until the very end.

Liverpool’s dilemma: cash in or double down?

Inside Liverpool, the picture is more conflicted.

The club have already brought in Victor Munoz and are pushing hard to add Bradley Barcola and Yankuba Minteh before the window closes. Those pursuits have inevitably dragged Gakpo’s future into the spotlight, with the sense that his sale could help fund the next phase of Iraola’s rebuild.

Ornstein, speaking on TNT Sports, laid out the calculation with Barcola at the heart of it.

“Liverpool are prioritising [Barcola], there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “If they can get him from PSG, then I think we’ll see Gakpo leave. If they don’t get him in from PSG, I think they’ll happily keep Gakpo.

“[Andoni] Iraola really likes him. It’ll all come down to the fee with PSG, and the gap is too big at the moment.”

So Liverpool sit on a knife-edge: keep a manager’s favourite, or sacrifice him to unlock a younger wide option and balance the books.

Minteh chase complicates the picture

Barcola is not the only moving piece. Liverpool are also advancing on Minteh, and optimism has grown after they learned Brighton’s likely asking price and received a clear green light from the player’s camp.

“It definitely stands a chance,” Ornstein said of a Minteh deal. “But if the numbers are not right for Liverpool, I hear that they have another option they’re weighing up and could pivot to if it doesn’t suit them with Minteh. I’m not ruling it out, of course.”

Brighton’s stance is firm. They want in excess of £70m including add-ons. That figure gives Liverpool pause, even if the talent excites them.

“The injury is a concern,” Ornstein added, “but if you’re so convinced by the talent, you could probably take the risk.”

TNT Sports pundit Karen Carney is less certain Minteh is ready to inherit the most daunting role in Liverpool’s attack.

“If you’re looking to replace [Mohamed] Salah, he isn’t going to be ready to jump into that mould,” she said. At 22, Minteh is “young and extremely quick and explosive, certainly an Iraola type of player,” but Carney questions whether he is “fit and ready to go.”

Barcola, in her eyes, is closer to the finished article. “Barcola is a very good player, still raw. I think he can be more clinical, but he’s won two Champions Leagues and is a French international, so I think he fits the bill.”

A window that could reshape both clubs

So the stakes are clear.

For Tottenham, landing Marmoush and Savinho then adding Gakpo would overhaul their frontline in one window and hand them a versatile, Premier League-proven attacker who can operate across the front line.

For Liverpool, Gakpo represents both a trusted option for Iraola and a potential financial lever. Whether he stays or goes may hinge on PSG’s stance over Barcola and Brighton’s demands for Minteh.

If those numbers don’t move, Liverpool may close the door and keep their Dutch forward. If they do, Tottenham’s persistence could finally be rewarded – and one of the most intriguing attacking sagas of the summer would tilt decisively towards north London.