Manchester United planning €50 million swoop for World Cup star Gakpo in January

Manchester United are planning to sign Netherlands and PSV forward Cody Gakpo in the January transfer window for €50 million, according to reports.

After successfully showing his talents on the world stage in Qatar with his country – where he scored three times in their run to the quarter-finals – Gakpo is looking likely to make a mid-season move after missing out on a transfer in the summer.

He has already hinted at Old Trafford being a potential destination for him after being so close to a move to the Theatre of Dreams back in August.

The latest reports from Jason Burt from The Telegraph support the notion that we could see the Dutch forward in red and white very soon.

He wrote that the Premier League club are planning a €50 million bid for Gakpo once the January window opens.

It was added that the 23-year-old is seen as a replacement for the departed Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo’s exit means that Anthony Martial is currently the only player who prefers to play in the centre-forward role at United. Marcus Rashford has been used there during the Frenchman’s injury troubles but admits that he is more comfortable on the left side of the attack.

Whilst most of Gakpo’s minutes have been played on the left wing, his skillset suggests that he could provide an option for Erik ten Hag up front. He was used as part of a strike partnership in the Netherlands’ World Cup campaign.

The aforementioned report also mentioned that the player wants to join the Red Devils and work with Dutch manager Ten Hag.

United return to action next week in the Carabao Cup and it seems that January recruitment is a necessity for the team that had 12 players in the knock-outs of the World Cup if they are to compete for the top four.