Cody Gakpo's Future at Liverpool: Tottenham's Interest Grows

Fenway Sports Group have made up their minds on Cody Gakpo. The Liverpool winger, once signed as a cornerstone of the club’s next attacking era, is now viewed as a saleable asset – and Tottenham are circling.

The Dutchman’s stock has fallen sharply after a dismal 2025/26 campaign at Anfield. As Liverpool’s title defence unravelled, Gakpo’s form went with it. Goals dried up, influence faded, and a fanbase that had quickly taken to him began to turn. The slide on the pitch fed into a wider sense of drift that ultimately cost Arne Slot his job.

Slot’s reign ended not just because results fell away, but because the football turned flat and the connection with supporters frayed. FSG responded by moving decisively for Andoni Iraola, a coach with a more aggressive, front-foot style. That change on the touchline has inevitably sharpened the focus on players like Gakpo, whose role under the new regime is far from guaranteed.

Liverpool open the door – and Spurs take notice

In that uncertainty, Tottenham have sensed opportunity. The London club are monitoring the possibility of prising Gakpo away from Anfield in a big-money move, and, according to journalist David Lynch, they may not be met with much resistance if they come with a serious offer.

Speaking on Anfield Index, Lynch revealed that internal conversations at Liverpool suggest a willingness to cash in.

“I was really, really surprised, I’ll be honest, when I kind of had a conversation about this just before I went away,” he said. “I said, surely there’s no chance Gakpo’s on the way this summer, they’ve got so much to do already. The answer I got back was kind of ‘hmm, nah, we could sell him.’”

That response, from within the club, marked a clear shift. Gakpo had long been seen as a player to persevere with, a forward whose flaws could be ironed out under the right coach. Not anymore.

“I really didn’t expect that personally,” Lynch continued. “I thought Liverpool would just totally acknowledge that he’s got his flaws, but give him one more season, see where he’s up to and what they can get out of him from a new manager. But he very much seems to me to be up for a possible sale this summer.

“That’s not to say he’s guaranteed to go, but if an offer on the table comes in that is good enough, then Liverpool will 100 per cent accept it. I just didn’t expect that at all. So, one to definitely keep an eye on.”

For Tottenham, that is as close to an invitation as you get at this level. For Gakpo, it underlines how quickly the ground has shifted beneath his feet.

No transfer request – but a World Cup pivot point

Talk in the Netherlands that Gakpo is preparing to force his way out has swirled for weeks. Lynch, though, was keen to cool that particular narrative.

“One thing that was played down, this idea that he’s asked to leave, is nonsense,” he said. “At the moment, the player’s focus is on the World Cup as I understand it, but maybe when he comes back, there’s a real chance for him to go. It does rely on people stumping up the money, but it seems there’s interest in him. So, if that happens, we could be saying goodbye to Gakpo.”

The World Cup, then, becomes a hinge moment. Perform well, and his value spikes. Underwhelm, and the equation changes for both Liverpool and any suitors. Either way, the sense is that the club are no longer building around him.

Barcola: the £78m heir to the left flank?

Liverpool’s recruitment team are not waiting idly. While Yan Diomande remains the headline target, the club have already moved for Victor Munoz and are weighing up whether a third winger should follow.

One name sits high on that list: Bradley Barcola.

The France international’s situation at PSG is being watched closely at Anfield. With suggestions the Ligue 1 champions could be tempted to cash in for around €90m (£78m, $103m), Liverpool see a window that might just open at the right time.

“For me, that feels very feasible,” Lynch said. “There are so many things that have to happen here. Gakpo has to go; the bid has to be right, and that probably happens after his World Cup campaign. Then Barcola will have to be in a position where PSG are willing to let him leave. He’s got to pick them [Liverpool].”

That last point matters. Arsenal have been linked before, and any move for Barcola would not be a straight run. Yet Liverpool’s interest is neither new nor tentative.

“I’ve been reporting for a long time that Barcola’s a player of interest,” Lynch added. “Earlier in the summer, I felt that they want Diomande, if they can’t get him, then maybe the door is open to Barcola, but the fact that he’s someone that they do like, he can play on either side and centrally, though he primarily prefers the left, it does make sense that he’d be someone they’d pursue if they do lose Gakpo.”

If Gakpo goes, then he would need to be replaced. And I don’t think Diomande and Ngumoha are seen as replacements. I would watch that one, it feels like it’s not taking too huge a leap to say it’s a possibility to see Gakpo going and Barcola coming in.

That view tallies with other reports. Fabrizio Romano has already described Barcola as a player Iraola “loves”, while highlighting a contractual detail that could strengthen Liverpool’s hand if PSG decide to negotiate.

Diomande remains the priority – but the attack is being reshaped

For all the noise around Gakpo and Barcola, FSG’s primary focus is clear: get Diomande through the door. Talks with RB Leipzig have dragged, and frustration is said to be growing in the player’s camp as they wait for Liverpool to finally strike an agreement.

A record-breaking deal has been touted as possible “in one or two days” if all sides align, underlining how central Diomande is to Iraola’s plans. He is seen as a pillar, not a luxury.

Yet the broader picture is hard to ignore. Munoz already in, Diomande pursued aggressively, Barcola tracked carefully, and Gakpo suddenly available at the right price. Liverpool are not tinkering at the edges of their forward line; they are preparing for a significant reset.

If Tottenham decide to test FSG’s resolve with a serious bid, that reset could accelerate – and Anfield may soon find itself welcoming a very different kind of left-sided threat.