Liverpool have reportedly set a tentative valuation of around £70m on Cody Gakpo this summer as links to Tottenham Hotspur continue.
Spurs have been on a spending spree since confirming their Premier League status at the end of the season, and, according to journalist Ben Jacobs, have half an eye on adding Gakpo to their shopping cart.
“He is a name on Tottenham’s list. Let’s see how that develops,” Jacobs told TalkSPORT on Sunday, adding that Liverpool would be ‘pointing to’ the £70m fee Barcelona paid Newcastle for Anthony Gordon as a yardstick.
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“The market is inflated and Liverpool have a very high asking price for Cody Gakpo,” he said, before adding that Gakpo has not asked to leave the Reds, despite some reports to the contrary in the Netherlands.
To some Liverpool fans, the thought of banking £70m for Gakpo will seem like an absolute no-brainer, particularly after the difficult season he had. But, if Gordon is the barometer here, then the Dutchman is actually worth a lot more.
Gakpo is a better bet than Gordon
Had Liverpool done what it seemed like they may at one stage and signed Gordon, he would not have been a clear starter ahead of Gakpo on the left wing.
Although the former Everton man has more pace than Gakpo, he is actually far less productive than the much-maligned 27-year-old.
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The two players are comparable due to the fact they both moved in the January window in 2023, and both arrived for identical fees in the region of £45m.
Since then, Gordon has played 152 matches for Newcastle, clocking up 39 goals and 21 assists. Gakpo, meanwhile has 180 appearances for Liverpool, with 50 goals and 20 assists.
There is not a huge amount in it, but Gakpo’s best season of 18 goals in 24/25 beats Gordon’s of 17 last season, and though the Liverpool star is two years older, he is still yet to enter his peak years.
£70m did feel a lot to pay for Gordon, but, in a market where a 19-year-old with 60 senior appearances is worth north of £100m in Yan Diomande, it was also an understandable fee. If Gakpo were to go, Liverpool would be foolish not to look for something in the same ballpark.
Gakpo is surely too expensive for anyone to sign
Though the Spurs interest will not go away so far this summer, it would be a surprise if they forked out the money Liverpool want for Gakpo.
Roberto De Zerbi has already spent almost £200m on Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, while also splashing another £52m on Jan Paul van Hecke.
If there is £70m plus more in the bank for Gakpo then fair enough, but it does not feel like Spurs will come close to paying that.
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There probably is a market elsewhere in Europe for Liverpool’s No. 18, but with four years left on his contract, the Reds are in no rush to sell.
Instead, it is probably worth Liverpool keeping hold of Gakpo for at least another season, and seeing whether he can replicate the form he showed at this summer’s World Cup. If he can do that, he will add even more value onto his already hefty price-tag.
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