Report: Liverpool Star Future in Doubt as Manchester City Eye £85m Liverpool Deal

Report: Liverpool Star Future in Doubt as Manchester City Eye £85m Liverpool Deal Cody Gakpo Faces Liverpool Decision as Manchester City Eye £85m Transfer Cody Gakpo could suddenly find himself at the centre of one of the most intriguing decisions of Liverpool’s transfer window, with Manchester City reportedly considering an £85million move for the Netherlands international. According to Paul Joyce of The Times , City have shown interest in the 27-year-old as Liverpool prepare to complete the signing of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain. That arrival changes the equation considerably. Barcola Arrival Reshapes Liverpool Attack Liverpool have agreed a £123million package for Barcola, consisting of £106million guaranteed and another £17million in potential bonuses. The France international is expected to undergo his medical before signing a five-year contract. Barcola prefers operating from the left, which has been Gakpo’s main position throughout much of his Liverpool career. Photo: IMAGO Gakpo started from the right during Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest and created Alexander Isak’s goal before being replaced by Rio Ngumoha. There are suddenly plenty of moving pieces. Tottenham Hotspur have monitored Gakpo throughout the summer, although Joyce reports that Manchester City possess the financial strength required to seriously test Liverpool’s position. Manchester City Interest Creates Difficult Decision City recently sold Sávio to Tottenham for £85million, with £75million guaranteed and £10million in bonuses, so the financial capacity clearly exists. Whether the sporting opportunity works for Gakpo requires greater consideration. Enzo Maresca already has Jérémy Doku and Antoine Semenyo available in wide areas. Moving from Liverpool because Barcola potentially threatens his starting position, only to encounter another fight for minutes at Manchester City, would hardly represent an obvious solution. Gakpo’s numbers also explain why Liverpool can command a substantial fee. He contributed 18 goals across all competitions during Liverpool’s Premier League-winning 2024-25 campaign and scored against Newcastle United last weekend. His difficult 2025-26 season reflected Liverpool’s collective decline as much as an individual collapse. Liverpool Could Create Another Transfer Problem This is where Liverpool’s planning deserves scrutiny. Selling Gakpo for somewhere around £85million would represent excellent business when viewed purely through the accounting lens. Yet Joyce reports Liverpool would then need another winger. Yankuba Minteh and Ismaïla Sarr have already attracted Liverpool’s interest. Brighton have rejected offers of £50million and £60million for Minteh and reportedly want closer to £80million, while Sarr would probably cost less. Liverpool could therefore sell a proven Premier League winger for £85million, then immediately spend much of that money replacing him. That feels unnecessarily complicated. Gakpo remains productive, experienced and capable of covering multiple attacking positions. Barcola’s arrival should increase competition rather than automatically trigger another departure. Unless Gakpo actively pushes for Manchester City, Liverpool should be extremely cautious about allowing this one to develop. Our View – Anfield Index Analysis From a Liverpool supporter’s perspective, this is where frustration with the recruitment strategy starts creeping in again. We have spent months talking about strengthening the squad. Barcola arriving for £123million should feel like Liverpool adding another elite attacking option. Why does every exciting arrival seemingly have to generate another conversation about somebody leaving? Gakpo scored 18 goals during the title-winning season. He can play from the left, through the middle and, as we saw against Forest, from the right. He already understands the Premier League and has demonstrated that he can produce for Liverpool. Selling him for £85million and then chasing Minteh for something approaching £80million makes very little sense to me. Minteh has qualities and significant potential, but Liverpool already possess the established player. Why introduce another adaptation period and another expensive negotiation? Liverpool need depth. Last season showed exactly what happens when performances drop and options become limited. Barcola, Gakpo, Isak, Ngumoha, Victor Muñoz and others competing for attacking positions sounds like the sort of depth Liverpool should be building. And selling Gakpo to Manchester City would make this even harder to stomach. Liverpool should be trying to finish above City, not handing them a proven Premier League attacker because another winger has arrived at Anfield. If Gakpo demands to leave, Liverpool have a different conversation to navigate. Until that happens, £85million would not tempt me. Keep the player. Keep the depth. Make Manchester City find their winger somewhere else.