Manchester United news: PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo has admitted he thought he would join the Old Trafford outfit before the transfer window closed.
Gakpo was among the players linked with a move to Man Utd in the recent summer transfer window. The PSV winger attracted Man Utd’s interest, but the Red Devils never tabled a bid for the 23-year-old.
Antony was Man Utd’s top transfer target as they looked to bolster their attacking department before the transfer window slammed shut. Gakpo was mostly seen as an alternative option should their pursuit of Antony fail.
Man Utd eventually signed Antony from Ajax. The Red Devils completed the signing of the Brazilian winger for a fee of £86m. Antony has signed a contract until 2027, with the option to extend it by another year.
Manchester United news: Gakpo thought he would join the club
Gakpo has now admitted he thought at one point he would have been a Man Utd player by the time the transfer window closed.
The Netherlands international also revealed Man Utd had registered their interest in him at the start of the transfer window – but not strongly. He added that ‘signals became positive’ towards the end before their interest faded in the last week of the transfer window.
“At the start of the window, United registered their interest but not very strongly, so I was waiting for a bit, and then the end was approaching and the signals became more positive. I started thinking it could fall that way eventually,” Gakpo told PSV’s Youtube channel.
He added: “The interest faded last week, so the whole window I worked towards that and then it faded. So then I was watching last week, thinking ‘what is the right thing to do?’.”
Gakpo also confirmed he had held talks with other Premier League clubs. “I spoke to other clubs, Premier League clubs which could be a good step, but there are more factors to consider, like the World Cup,” Gakpo said.
Red Devils’ summer transfer activity
Meanwhile, Man Utd made a total of six signings in the summer transfer window. They bolstered their defensive department with the addition of left-back Tyrell Malacia and centre-back Lisandro Martinez. Malacia joined Man Utd from Feyenoord, while Martinez left Ajax for the Old Trafford outfit.
Man Utd also reinforced their midfield department with the addition of Christian Eriksen on a free transfer and Casemiro from Real Madrid. They have also signed goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on loan.
Meanwhile, Man Utd host league leaders Arsenal at Old Trafford in their next match in the English top-flight.
