Sources: Ten Hag spoke to Cody Gakpo four times before Liverpool ambush
Man United were beaten to the signing of Cody Gakpo by Liverpool after Erik ten Hag spoke to him four times, sources have told Football Insider.
United had been strong favourites to land the Dutch forward from PSV Eindhoven this month before their rivals completed a swift deal over Christmas.
PSV announced on Monday night they had accepted a bid from Liverpool and he completed the formalities of the move later in the week.
It comes after United had a £25million bid for Gakpo rejected by PSV in the summer before continuing their pursuit after the window had closed.
Ten Hag and the forward, 23, are both represented by the Dutch agency SEG and that enabled the United boss to step up his club’s interest.
It is believed the manager spoke to Gakpo on four separate occasions before Liverpool’s hijack.
Liverpool’s late ambush has echoes of their swoop for Luis Diaz in January of this year, when the player was close to agreeing terms with Tottenham before FSG gave the green light to a last-gasp deal.
Ten Hag has made no attempt to hide his desire to secure a new forward signing in January who can slot straight into the United starting XI.
The Red Devils’ lack of firepower was on show during their 1-0 win against Wolves on Saturday evening, with Marcus Rashford coming off the bench to provide the winning goal after poor performances from Anthony Martial and summer signing Antony.
Rashford now boasts twice as many goals as United’s second-top scorer, with his 11 dwarfing Martial’s five this season.
In contrast, Gakpo will join Liverpool after scoring 13 goals and assisting a further 17 for PSV already this season – he added a further three goals for the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup.
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