After Manchester United suffered back-to-back defeats in the opening two games of the new Premier League season, there were multiple reports which lambasted the club’s transfer dealings till that point in time.
Only three players had ended up arriving at Old Trafford with Erik ten Hag seemingly furious that the club had failed to back him in the transfer market.
Since then, the club has seen a massive upturn in form with two decisive victories over arch-rivals Liverpool and Southampton which have helped in dissipating those grey clouds over Carrington.
Cody Gakpo will stay at PSV. 🚨⚪️ #DeadlineDay
Leeds agreed with player and offered more than Southampton but PSV rejected — and Van Gaal suggested player to stay until World Cup.
Been told Leeds are determined to try again in January. pic.twitter.com/Lm9YlbVAJv
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2022
The club managed to splash the cash in the end and signed midfield general Casemiro from Real Madrid and right winger Antony from Ajax. Martin Dubravka also has arrived on loan as a back-up goalkeeper.
Gakpo move ruled out
One player whose arrival can be safely ruled out is Cody Gakpo of PSV Eindhoven. All the talk seemed to indicate that if a deal for the Brazilian right winger failed to materialise, United would go after the Dutch winger who was seen as the cheaper alternative.
The Brazil international ended up signing for a record €100million and the Gakpo rumours slowly faded away.
United were not the only Premier League clubs after the 23-year-old with the Saints and Leeds United also keen on signing the Netherlands international.
But according to The Athletic, PSV Eindhoven have decided to keep a hold of their star winger and have refused to allow him to leave so late in the transfer window.
This comes as a big blow for both clubs with Southampton reportedly working on a deal while Leeds’ DoF even travelling to Eindhoven in order to force through a move.
“Leeds also retained a strong interest in the player, with the club’s director of football Victor Orta travelling to the Netherlands in the hope of signing him. Orta will return to England on Thursday morning with a deal for Gakpo now off,” the article goes on to mention.
PSV’s star man
Gakpo’s deal with PSV runs till 2026 and he has been their standout performer in the last couple of seasons. He was their top scorer and had the most assists in the Eredivisie last season with 12 goals to his name and a further 13 assists.
He has started the new season in breathtaking form, with six goals and three assists to his name already, that too in a mere four games. This includes an impressive hat-trick in the club’s 7-1 victory over FC Volendam on Wednesday night.
PSV are hopeful of keeping a hold of Gakpo for the long-term and they will certainly not be doing any business on the cheap for their star man in the future.
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