Manchester City hold advanced talks with Liverpool over Cody Gakpo deal

Manchester City are in advanced negotiations with Liverpool over the signing of Netherlands international Cody Gakpo, according to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Liverpool are prepared to sell the 26-year-old, but only if they secure a replacement before allowing him to leave. Their immediate priority is to complete a deal for Paris Saint-Germain and France forward Bradley Barcola.

Should Liverpool finalise Barcola’s arrival, the club would give the green light for Gakpo to join Manchester City. Until then, the proposed move remains dependent on Liverpool strengthening their own attacking options.

The negotiations between the two Premier League clubs have progressed significantly, Romano has reported, with Manchester City seeking to use Gakpo to reinforce their wide attacking positions.

Liverpool’s willingness to consider Gakpo’s departure is therefore directly linked to their pursuit of Barcola. A successful agreement for the Paris Saint-Germain player would remove the main obstacle to the Dutchman’s move to Manchester City.

Manchester City are looking to add another winger after the departures of Omar Marmoush and Savinho to Tottenham. Those exits have left the club with only Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo currently available in the wide positions.

Gakpo’s potential arrival would give Manchester City another option on the wing, while Liverpool would aim to maintain the depth of their forward line through Barcola’s signing. The two deals are consequently connected, with Liverpool’s decision on Gakpo dependent on the outcome of their negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain.

For now, no completed transfer has been announced. The clubs remain in discussions, with Liverpool’s condition understood to be clear: Gakpo can leave for Manchester City if Barcola joins from Paris Saint-Germain.

If that sequence of events takes place, Gakpo would move between two Premier League clubs and Manchester City would add the Netherlands international to a squad currently containing Doku and Semenyo as its two senior winger options. Liverpool, meanwhile, would replace him with Barcola, a France international who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain.

The report underlines the importance of the Barcola negotiations to the wider transfer situation. Manchester City’s interest in Gakpo has reached an advanced stage, but the deal cannot progress to completion unless Liverpool first secure the player they want as his replacement.