Man Utd ‘set to hold talks’ over Cody Gakpo transfer as striker makes admission on his future

Manchester United are in the market for a new striker following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
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Manchester United are set to hold talks in the coming days over the possible transfer of Cody Gakpo, according to reports.

The Netherlands striker, who has scored three goals at the World Cup, has previously revealed how he nearly joined the Red Devils last summer, while there was also interest from Leeds United. But a move to Old Trafford could still happen in January, and the Daily Mail claim the PSV Eindhoven star is Erik ten Hag’s ‘no.1 target’ in the winter window. United are light of options up front following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo last month, with Anthony Martial now the only recognised centre forward in the squad.

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Meanwhile, Gakpo has said he will ‘think about it’ if United come calling in January. Speaking to Dutch outlet NRC, the 23-year-old discussed his botched transfer last summer and said: “I learned from that. I’m going to do it differently. What comes, that comes.

“Suppose you want to go from RKC [Waalwijk] to PSV, but that club is not coming. Then you can panic. I thought about Manchester United, but when that didn’t happen, I couldn’t remember. And I started to doubt. Leeds United did come. Should I go there?

“Now I wait for everything. I haven’t heard from Manchester United yet. When they come, I’ll think about it. I also seek the help of God in these decisions.”

Gakpo is expected to start for the Netherlands on Friday when they face Argentina in the World Cup quarter-final in Qatar. The Dutch eliminated USA 3-1 in the last round, thanks to goals from Memphis Depay, Daley Blind and Denzel Dumfries.

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As for United, they lost 4-2 to Cadiz on Wednesday in their first friendly of the mid-season break. A disappointed Ten Hag labelled the first-half performance as ‘unacceptable’ after his experienced side conceded two soft goals inside the opening 13 minutes. The Red Devils face Real Betis on Saturday before they fly back to Manchester.