Virgil van Dijk calls on Liverpool to keep Cody Gakpo amid Manchester City interest

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has urged the club to keep Cody Gakpo, with Manchester City reportedly ready to offer about £75m for the Netherlands international.

Gakpo, 27, has been linked with a move away from Anfield. Liverpool could be prepared to consider a sale following the expected arrival of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal that could eventually reach £123m.

But Van Dijk says Gakpo remains an important member of Liverpool’s squad and hopes the forward stays beyond the transfer deadline.

“He’s a quality player, and I think we should keep quality players, but let’s see what the next three days bring,” Van Dijk said.

“Obviously it’s pretty clear that I want him to stay, not only because he is the quality player that he is, but also he’s a friend of mine, and I think he will be very important for us.”

Gakpo has scored 51 goals since joining Liverpool and played a significant part in their Premier League title success during the 2024/25 season.

He has made a productive start to the current campaign, scoring once and supplying an assist as Liverpool drew 2-2 with Newcastle United and then Nottingham Forest.

Liverpool are also expected to complete the signing of Barcola, who is set to move from European champions Paris Saint-Germain. Van Dijk said Liverpool’s status remains strong enough to attract top-level players, despite the club finishing fifth in the Premier League last season and entering a period of change after Arne Slot’s departure.

“I think Liverpool are still one of the biggest clubs in the world,” he said.

“Obviously we all know that we’re going through a transition and you either want to be part of it or you don’t. I’m part of it now.”

Van Dijk would also welcome the opportunity to play alongside Barcola, although he stressed that the transfer had not yet been completed.

“He’s a very good player. If he comes, he’ll be welcomed with open arms, but until it’s there, there’s no point speaking about it now,” he added.

Liverpool have shown resilience in their opening two Premier League matches under Iraola, recovering from losing positions against both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

However, Van Dijk believes the team must become more reliable defensively if they are to mount a challenge near the top of the Premier League table.

“It takes some time, but obviously we all want it to work as soon as possible and for 90 minutes,” he said.

“That’s now two games in a row we’ve had to fight back. Obviously it’s a good sign that we fight back but I think we can still do much better than what we have been showing.

“We have to score more, we have to concede less.”

The Liverpool captain was especially frustrated that Nottingham Forest again left Anfield with a positive result. Forest have visited Liverpool three times in the past three seasons without losing.

“Nottingham Forest came here three times in the last three seasons and came away unbeaten, and that shouldn’t happen,” he said.

Liverpool will attempt to secure their first victory of the season when they travel to Portman Road to play Ipswich Town on Friday.