Liverpool's Stance on Cody Gakpo: Open to Sale if Right Bid Arrives

Liverpool’s American owners have made up their minds on Cody Gakpo – and the message to the market is brutally clear. If the right bid lands on the table, he can go.

The Dutch forward, once a symbol of Liverpool’s sharp eye in the transfer market, has become a lightning rod for frustration after a dismal title defence. His dip mirrored the team’s collapse in 2025/26, a season that stripped away the gloss of the Jurgen Klopp era and ended with Arne Slot being shown the door. The football was flat, the atmosphere sour, and Slot never truly convinced the Anfield crowd he was the man to lead the next cycle.

Now Andoni Iraola has been handed the keys, and one of his first big calls may be to oversee a major reshaping of the forward line. Gakpo is right in the middle of it.

Gakpo on the market – if the money’s there

Tottenham have sensed an opportunity. The London club, always alert to any hint of vulnerability at a rival, have been watching developments closely as noise grew around Gakpo’s future and suggestions from the Netherlands that he feared reduced minutes under the new regime.

Journalist David Lynch, speaking on Anfield Index, revealed that Liverpool are far more open to a sale than many inside and outside the club expected.

“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 line cuts through the speculation. This is not a player ring-fenced as untouchable. This is a player Liverpool will move on for the right price.

“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.”

The message from inside Anfield is ruthless and simple: sentiment will not stand in the way of a deal.

No transfer request – but the door is open

What this is not, according to Lynch, is a player downing tools or demanding an exit. Talk that Gakpo has already asked to leave has been firmly dismissed.

“One thing that was played down, this idea that he’s asked to leave, is nonsense,” Lynch said. For now, Gakpo’s attention is locked on the World Cup. His future will be dealt with after that.

“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.”

Tottenham are among those monitoring the situation, sensing that Liverpool’s need to refresh and Iraola’s desire to reshape the attack could create an opening for a big-money move. The 121-goal forward, once seen as a long-term pillar of the front line, is now a potential asset to be cashed in.

Barcola: the £78m winger on Liverpool’s radar

If Gakpo leaves, Liverpool will not simply bank the fee and shuffle the deck. There is already a clear name emerging as a potential replacement: Bradley Barcola.

The PSG winger, valued at around €90m (£78m), has long been on Liverpool’s radar, and Lynch believes the idea of the Frenchman stepping into Gakpo’s role is far from fantasy.

“For me, that feels very feasible,” he said. But the chain of events is delicate. Gakpo has to go. The bid for him has to be right, and that likely happens after his World Cup campaign. Then PSG must be willing to cash in on Barcola. And crucially, the player has to choose Liverpool.

“Arsenal have been linked previously, there’ll be competition,” Lynch added. “But I’ve been reporting for a long time that Barcola’s a player of interest.”

Liverpool’s admiration is rooted in Barcola’s versatility. He can operate on either flank, drift inside, and has the profile of a modern wide forward who fits Iraola’s high-intensity, aggressive style. He prefers the left, but he doesn’t live there. That flexibility is gold dust in a squad that has been built on forwards interchanging positions and roles.

“Earlier in the summer, I felt that they want Diomande, if they can’t get him, then maybe the door is open to Barcola,” Lynch said. “But 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.

“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 underlined that Barcola is a player Iraola “loves”, and a detail in the winger’s contract could tilt the situation in Liverpool’s favour if PSG decide to sell. The pieces are there. They just need to fall into place.

Diomande remains the top target

Amid all this, one priority towers above the rest: Yan Diomande. FSG’s main focus remains securing the RB Leipzig attacker, even as they quietly line up contingencies in wide areas.

A deal for Victor Munoz has already been wrapped up, adding one winger to the mix, but Liverpool are not closing the door on a third if the Gakpo domino falls. Diomande is seen as central to the rebuild, not a like-for-like successor to the Dutchman.

Behind the scenes, frustration is reportedly growing in Diomande’s camp as they wait for Liverpool and Leipzig to find common ground. There is even talk that a record-breaking agreement could be thrashed out in “one or two days” once the numbers align.

So Liverpool stand at a crossroads. Gakpo, once a marquee arrival, is now a potential sacrifice to fund a sharper, more Iraola-shaped attack. Tottenham lurk. PSG’s stance on Barcola is being watched. Diomande waits for the call.

The next few weeks will tell whether this is a tweak to the forward line or a full-scale changing of the guard at Anfield.