Cody Gakpo's Future at Liverpool: Potential Sale Amid Tottenham Interest
Liverpool’s American owners have made up their minds. Cody Gakpo, once a marquee arrival and a symbol of a new attacking era, is no longer untouchable.
After a dismal title defence and a season in which too many of Liverpool’s stars lost their edge, FSG are prepared to listen to offers for the Dutchman – and Tottenham are circling.
Gakpo’s standing crumbles with Slot
Gakpo’s dip mirrored Liverpool’s collapse in 2025/26. The team that had swaggered to the Premier League crown a year earlier faded badly, and the Dutch forward became one of the faces of that decline.
The football grew slow. The atmosphere at Anfield turned restless. Arne Slot, hired to build on a championship side, instead oversaw a limp surrender of the title and a style that never caught fire. By the time FSG pulled the plug and turned to Andoni Iraola, large sections of the support had already made up their minds on both manager and winger.
In that climate, talk of Gakpo’s sale was inevitable. Reports in the Netherlands suggested the 121-goal attacker feared reduced minutes under Iraola and was ready to push for a move. Tottenham, always alert to attacking talent with Premier League pedigree, quickly took note.
Journalist David Lynch, speaking on Anfield Index, revealed that the idea of Liverpool cashing in is not fantasy – it is firmly on the table.
“I was really, really surprised, I’ll be honest, when I kind of had a conversation about this just before I went away,” Lynch said. “I said, surely there’s no chance Gakpo’s on the way this summer, they’ve got so much to do already. The answer I got back was kind of ‘hmm, nah, we could sell him.’”
That response changed the picture. Inside the club, Gakpo is no longer ring-fenced.
“I really didn’t expect that personally,” Lynch continued. “I thought Liverpool would just totally acknowledge that he’s got his flaws, but give him one more season, see where he’s up to and what they can get out of him from a new manager. But he very much seems to me to be up for a possible sale this summer.
“That’s not to say he’s guaranteed to go, but if an offer on the table comes in that is good enough, then Liverpool will 100 per cent accept it. I just didn’t expect that at all. So, one to definitely keep an eye on.”
Tottenham, eyeing a high-end addition in the final third, now know there is a door ajar at Anfield. The question is how wide they can push it.
World Cup first, decision later
For all the noise, Lynch is clear on one point: Gakpo has not downed tools or formally demanded out.
“One thing that was played down, this idea that he’s asked to leave, is nonsense,” he said. “At the moment, the player’s focus is on the World Cup as I understand it, but maybe when he comes back, there’s a real chance for him to go. It does rely on people stumping up the money, but it seems there’s interest in him. So, if that happens, we could be saying goodbye to Gakpo.”
The timing matters. A strong World Cup could inflate his value and hand Liverpool leverage. A flat tournament might harden opinions on Merseyside that this is the right moment to move on.
Either way, if Gakpo goes, Liverpool’s recruitment plan shifts again.
Barcola: the £78m winger on Liverpool’s radar
Liverpool have already been busy in wide areas. A deal for Victor Munoz is done, and Yan Diomande remains the headline target. Even so, the club are not ruling out a third winger if the right opportunity appears – and if Gakpo departs.
One name keeps resurfacing: Bradley Barcola.
The France international, currently at PSG, is being closely monitored by Liverpool as the French champions weigh up whether to cash in. A fee of around €90m (£78m, $103m) has been floated, a price bracket that would place him among the most expensive signings in Liverpool’s history.
“For me, that feels very feasible,” Lynch said of a potential Barcola move. The pathway is clear but narrow. “There are so many things that have to happen here. Gakpo has to go; the bid has to be right, and that probably happens after his World Cup campaign. Then Barcola will have to be in a position where PSG are willing to let him leave. He’s got to pick them [Liverpool].”
Competition is guaranteed. Arsenal have already been linked, and any hint that PSG are open to talks will drag more heavyweights into the race. Lynch, though, underlined that Liverpool’s interest is not new or speculative.
“I’ve been reporting for a long time that Barcola’s a player of interest,” he said. Earlier in the summer, the internal view at Anfield seemed to be that Diomande was the priority, with Barcola a potential pivot if that deal collapsed. The landscape has shifted.
Now, Barcola looks more like a direct Gakpo contingency. “The fact that he’s someone that they do like, he can play on either side and centrally, though he primarily prefers the left, it does make sense that he’d be someone they’d pursue if they do lose Gakpo,” Lynch explained.
“If Gakpo goes, then he would need to be replaced,” he added. “And I don’t think Diomande and Ngumoha are seen as replacements. I would watch that one, it feels like it’s not taking too huge a leap to say it’s a possibility to see Gakpo going and Barcola coming in.”
Fabrizio Romano has already stated that Iraola “loves” Barcola, and there is a contractual detail at PSG that could strengthen Liverpool’s hand. The pieces are there. They just need to fall in the right order.
Diomande remains the headline act
For all the intrigue around Gakpo and Barcola, FSG’s primary focus has not changed. Yan Diomande remains the top target.
Talks with RB Leipzig have dragged, and frustration is starting to build in the player’s camp as they wait for Liverpool to make their move. A record-breaking agreement has been touted as possible “in one or two days” if Liverpool finally meet Leipzig’s demands.
That is the tightrope Liverpool now walk. Push through a huge deal for Diomande. Keep an eye on Gakpo’s market. Be ready to pounce if PSG open the door to Barcola.
Tottenham are watching. Arsenal are lurking. Gakpo is heading into a World Cup with his future in the balance.
Liverpool’s next decisive move in the market will say plenty about how ruthless this new Iraola era is prepared to be.
