Football News: Liverpool FC confirms signing of PSV star Cody Gakpo

Cody Gakpo, a Dutch attacker, has been officially signed by Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven. The 23-year-old will formally sign with Jurgen Klopp's team at the beginning of the January transfer window, and it is believed that he has agreed to a five-and-a-half-year contract that runs through the summer of 2028.

In spite of the fact that it was anticipated that Manchester United would sign the attacker in the middle of the season, PSV said on Boxing Day that they had reached a deal to sell Gakpo to Liverpool.

Liverpool moved quickly to complete a deal before the start of the winter transfer season, beating out competition from Southampton and Leeds United for Gakpo's services during the summer transfer window.

Although the transfer fee has not been announced, it is known to be a record one for PSV. Liverpool is reportedly planning to pay £37 million up front and an additional £7 million in performance-related bonuses.

"I feel really good, I'm really excited to be here. I'm looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club,"

Gakpo told liverpoolfc.com after passing his medical and signing his contract.

"I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years."

"I think for me personally it's also good to develop here and there's a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from."

Gakpo, who will represent Liverpool in the number 18 jersey, will be able to make his Reds debut against Brentford on January 2 in the Premier League, though it is thought that the FA Cup match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 7 is more likely.

"I'm really looking forward to [playing at Anfield]. I heard a lot of great stories about the stadium, about the atmosphere. I cannot wait,"

the Dutchman added.

"Obviously [my aim is] to win as many prizes as we can as a team, to perform well, to show the world what we can do as a team and what I can do as a player. And personally, just to keep developing and become a better player every season."

"I'm really thankful that everybody is giving me such a warm welcome and I'm really looking forward to seeing everybody in the stadium and around the city."

Between 2007 and 2022, Gakpo spent 15 years with PSV Eindhoven, making 159 appearances for the Dutch powerhouse in all competitions and contributing 55 goals and 50 assists.

The attacker not only scored three goals in three straight World Cup 2022 group stage games for the Netherlands, but also registered an impressive 13 goals and 17 assists in 24 games over the first half of the 2022-23 season.

Gakpo competes for starting opportunities in a Liverpool jersey against Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, and Fabio Carvalho. During his breakout period at PSV, Gakpo won one Eredivisie title, one KNVB-Beker, and two Dutch Super Cups.

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