Manchester United are reportedly ahead of Arsenal in a bid to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven.
Gakpo was close to a move to the Premier League in the summer, with Leeds and Southampton joining United and Arsenal in holding an interest in the forward.
And that interest will only have strengthened this season with Gakpo notching 13 goals and 13 assists in 20 games across all competitions.
According to transfer expert Dean Jones there’s “no doubt” Gakpo will push for an exit next year and believes United are ahead of the Gunners in the race to sign him.
He told GiveMeSport: “He’s been brilliant this season for PSV and there’s no doubt that he is going to be looking for a transfer in 2023. So I still think he’s a player that people should take seriously in the Premier League for a transfer.
“I still think that, probably, Man United are more likely to land him than Arsenal.”
Gakpo revealed earlier this month that that he opted not to leave PSV in the summer after the proposed deal to join Ten Hag at Old Trafford fell through.
“I was close to leaving, I spoke to Erik ten Hag a few times at Manchester United,” Gakpo said.
“In the end, the deal didn’t go through, which was a shame, for me and my development, and because Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, but also for PSV because to transfer a player to Manchester United is a good thing for the club.
“It ended about a week before the end of the transfer window and in that week I had to decide if I would go to Leeds or Southampton. In the end, I stayed, but it was a stressful period.”
Asked if it has been difficult to recover his focus having wanted the move to United, Gakpo explained that it could never be considered a “punishment” to play for his boyhood club.
“I always said if I stay here, it’s my childhood club. It’s not a punishment,” Gakpo added.
“I like being here, I want to win trophies here and do my best for the club. But if I got the chance to go to the Premier League or something, of course I would have to consider that option. At that time it was hectic for me but I recovered pretty quickly.”
