I thought the Cody Gakpo situation was finished.
Manchester City made their move.
Liverpool said no.
The bid of £75m plus £5m in add-ons was rejected, and the expectation was that Gakpo would remain at Anfield.
But then something rather interesting happened at Crystal Palace.
Palace are attempting to hijack Sunderland’s move for Malick Fofana from Lyon — and if they manage to get that deal over the line, it could potentially change the situation surrounding Ismaïla Sarr.
And that leaves me wondering:
Is there still a chance Cody Gakpo could leave Liverpool?
Gakpo was supposed to be staying
The latest confirmed development is that Liverpool rejected Manchester City’s offer for Gakpo.
The package was worth £75m up front with a further £5m in potential add-ons.
Liverpool decided not to accept it, and reporting suggests City’s pursuit has now ended, with Gakpo expected to remain at Anfield.
So, at this moment, Gakpo is a Liverpool player and there is no confirmed agreement for him to leave.
That’s important.
But Deadline Day has a funny way of changing things very quickly.
Then there’s Ismaïla Sarr
Liverpool have been interested in Sarr for much of the summer.
The Senegal international has reportedly been pushing for a move to Anfield, while Palace have been reluctant to sell him so late in the window.
That has left Liverpool in a difficult position.
But now Palace are trying to sign Fofana.
And suddenly the situation becomes much more complicated.
Palace need Sarr’s replacement
This is the part that really catches my attention.
It’s difficult to believe Liverpool could sign Sarr without Palace bringing in a replacement.
But it’s equally difficult to believe Palace would be trying so desperately to sign Fofana if they were completely certain that Sarr was staying.
That’s why this situation is worth watching.
The latest reports suggest Palace’s attempt to hijack Sunderland’s deal for Fofana could potentially pave the way for Sarr’s departure.
Suddenly, the door that looked firmly shut could be opening again.
And then we come back to Gakpo
This is where it gets fascinating.
Liverpool have already rejected Manchester City’s bid for Gakpo.
So why would they now sell him?
They wouldn’t simply let him leave without having a replacement ready.
And that’s exactly why Sarr suddenly becomes so important.
If Liverpool can sign Sarr, they would have another experienced Premier League attacker ready to come into the squad.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Gakpo will leave.
But it would certainly make Liverpool better prepared if another offer arrived.
Could City come back?
At the moment, there is no indication that Manchester City are preparing another bid.
The latest reporting says their pursuit of Gakpo is over and they have turned their attention elsewhere.
So I wouldn’t write that Gakpo is suddenly on his way out.
He’s not.
But this is Deadline Day.
And until 11pm, you can’t completely rule anything out.
The biggest question is Liverpool’s intention
For me, this is the key.
Do Liverpool actually want to sell Gakpo?
Or were they only willing to consider it because City came in with a huge offer and the player had a decision to make?
There’s a massive difference.
Liverpool could have decided that £80m was simply too good to refuse if they had a replacement lined up.
But they rejected it.
That suggests they were not prepared to weaken their squad without knowing they could replace him.
And that tells me Gakpo is still valued by Iraola.
Sarr could still change everything
If Palace complete the Fofana deal, however, the Sarr situation could move very quickly.
And if Liverpool can get Sarr through the door, then the conversation changes again.
Suddenly Liverpool would have:
Barcola.
Sarr.
Gakpo.
Isak.
And several other attacking options.
That would give Iraola much greater depth.
But if Gakpo then left, Liverpool would still have replaced one experienced attacker with another.
That’s a very different situation from losing Gakpo without bringing anyone in.
My verdict
Do I think Gakpo is leaving?
Right now, no.
The strongest information we have is that Liverpool have rejected Manchester City’s £80m offer and Gakpo is expected to stay.
But do I think there’s still a chance something could happen?
Yes.
Because the Sarr situation has suddenly become incredibly interesting.
It’s difficult to believe Liverpool could sign Sarr without Gakpo leaving.
But it’s equally difficult to believe Palace would be trying so hard to sign Fofana if they had no intention of allowing Sarr to leave.
And that’s why I’m keeping one eye on both situations.
Palace are trying to find Sarr’s replacement.
Liverpool have rejected City’s offer for Gakpo.
Sarr reportedly wants Liverpool.
And there’s still time for another twist.
Maybe Gakpo really is staying.
Maybe Sarr arrives anyway.
Or maybe Palace’s move for Fofana triggers a chain reaction that nobody saw coming.
This is Deadline Day.
And until that clock hits 11pm, I’m not ruling anything out.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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