Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven are reportedly uninterested in selling 23-year-old Dutch attacker Cody Gakpo amid interest from Leeds United.
According to a report by The Athletic, Leeds United’s hopes of signing Cody Gakpo from the PSV Eindhoven this summer have ended. The Dutch heavyweights have no interest in offloading the 23-year-old attacker, who also attracted interest from Southampton in the ongoing transfer window.
Cody Gakpo spent most of his formative years with PSV Eindhoven before graduating to the club’s first-team squad a few seasons ago. The Dutch attacker has established himself as one of the best players in the Eredivisie since then, often scoring goals for fun for PSV in the past year.
After an excellent 2021/22 season with PSV, Gakpo has started the new campaign strongly, amassing seven goals and six assists in nine appearances. And the 23-year-old’s exploits have not gone unnoticed, with several clubs across Europe, including Leeds United, setting their sights on him.
The interest from Leeds United is surprising, considering Luis Sinisterra is settling down well at Elland Road while Jack Harrison has looked superb in the early stages of the 2022/23 season. In addition, Leeds United will unlikely sell Daniel James amid interest from Tottenham Hotspur, so they do not need another wide-attacking reinforcement.
But Gakpo can also play as a striker, which might have appealed to Leeds United, considering Patrick Bamford’s fitness woes show no signs of disappearing. The 23-year-old was thus a viable target for the West Yorkshire club, who recently approached PSV Eindhoven about signing him.
But the Eredivisie heavyweights have decided not to cash in on Gakpo before the summer transfer window shuts down. The Dutch attacker will also benefit from remaining at PSV instead of joining Leeds, considering his current club will play European football this season, thus aiding his growth heading into the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
As for Leeds United, it will be interesting to see if the Whites identify any alternatives for the 23-year-old Dutch attacker in the final hours of the summer transfer window. Ryan Kent and Hwang Hee-chan are also on Leeds’s radar, and a late move for either player might be on the cards.
