A fresh update from David Ornstein at The Athletic:
Southampton and
Leeds United remain in the race to sign Cody Gakpo — but PSV Eindhoven are keen to keep the winger on a lucrative new contract.
The Athletic reported earlier on Wednesday that Southampton were working on a deal for the 23-year-old, whose current terms expire in 2026.
The south coast club believe they have met the Dutch side’s valuation and have put the ball in PSV’s court but the race to secure his signature is still wide open.
Manchester United had considered a move for Gakpo before signing Antony from Ajax instead.
Gakpo enjoyed his most productive season to date in 2021-22, scoring 12 goals and recording 13 assists in 27 Eredivisie appearances.
He agreed in January to extend his PSV deal by a year to 2026 but
The Athletic learned that while that contract did not have a release clause, an understanding was formed that PSV would cooperate if a suitable offer came this summer.
Gakpo came through the ranks at PSV and made his senior debut in 2018, going on to make 143 appearances so far.
A Netherlands international, Gakpo has also netted four times in his first eight matches.
Southampton have already signed six players this summer, with
Armel Bella-Kotchap,
Romeo Lavia,
Joe Aribo,
Sekou Mara,
Gavin Bazunu and
Mateusz Lis all joining Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.
But the club are also
close to signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles from Arsenal on loan with an option to buy, and are
confident of bringing in Manchester City youngsters Samuel Edozie and Juan Larios.