Lewis Steele: Liverpool star set to stay despite transfer rumours

Lewis Steele: Liverpool star set to stay despite transfer rumours Cody Gakpo Transfer Latest, Why Liverpool Are Planning to Keep Him Cody Gakpo has drifted into the usual summer churn of transfer gossip, and that tends to happen when a good player has a merely decent season. Tottenham Hotspur have been mentioned, there has been talk of interest, and that is enough for the rumour mill to start doing what it always does. The more relevant detail is what Liverpool actually think, and that points firmly in one direction. According to Lewis Steele for The Redmen TV, the expectation inside Liverpool is straightforward. “He’s not as off-limits as he was maybe 12 months ago, but I still think I’d be surprised if he wasn’t a Liverpool player come the end of the summer transfer window. I think the word internally is that they’re planning for [next season] with him.” That is the key line here. When a club are planning with a player, rather than around a sale, it tells you where the balance of probability sits. Liverpool transfer plans point to patience This is not complicated. Gakpo is under contract for another four years, Liverpool are not under financial pressure, and the new head coach Andoni Iraola has every reason to assess him properly before sanctioning any major decision. Clubs with stable contracts do not sell useful forwards for the sake of headlines. They sell when the player wants out, when the coach has no use for him, or when the offer becomes too good to ignore. None of those conditions appears to be in place. His 2025/26 numbers were modest by comparison with previous expectations, nine goals in 52 appearances, and that naturally cools outside perception. Internally, though, there is likely to be a broader reading. He still has tactical flexibility, can play across the front line, and has shown again on the international stage that he remains capable of delivering in high-pressure moments. Andoni Iraola will want options in attack Liverpool’s attack is changing. Victor Munoz has arrived from Osasuna, while the departure of Mo Salah has forced Richard Hughes and the recruitment team to prioritise wide forwards. Bradley Barcola has been linked, and more names will follow. That does not automatically make Gakpo expendable. If anything, it underlines why keeping him makes sense. Squad building is about layers, not just star names. You need players who can start, rotate, adapt and survive the rhythm of a long season. Gakpo fits that profile. He may not have dominated the campaign just gone, but there is a difference between a dip and a decline, and Liverpool would be foolish to confuse the two. Cody Gakpo still matters at Anfield There is also a basic market reality here. If Spurs admire him, that is understandable. He is experienced, versatile and still at a good age. But admiration is cheap. Liverpool do not need to entertain it unless the bid is huge, and there is no indication that point has been reached. So, for now, the sensible reading is the obvious one. The Cody Gakpo transfer noise exists because it is summer and because Liverpool are entering a fresh phase under Iraola. The harder facts suggest he stays. At this point, that looks like the correct call. Versatile Gakpo could be crucial Gakpo did not have a brilliant season, that much is fair, but fans have seen enough from him to know there is still a serious player there. He has produced in big matches, he can cover multiple roles, and he rarely looks fazed by pressure. In a squad that is about to evolve again, that has value. The other point is timing. Iraola has only just arrived, and it would make little sense to move on a player like Gakpo before the new coach has had a proper look at him. Supporters will want fresh signings, of course they will, especially after changes in the forward line, but sensible squad management matters too. Selling every player who has a quiet year is how clubs create more problems than they solve. If a massive offer landed, then Liverpool would at least have a decision to make. Short of that, keeping Gakpo feels logical. Fans should be intrigued by what Iraola can get out of him, especially with a different structure, different patterns of play and a fresh voice on the training pitch. There is enough ability there for this conversation to look very different by the middle of the season.