PSV Eindhoven director of football Marcel Brands accepts that the club may be forced to sell star forward Cody Gakpo if they receive a suitable offer.
PSV Eindhoven director of football Marcel Brands accepts that the club may be forced to sell star forward Cody Gakpo if they receive a suitable offer.The 23-year-old was strongly linked with a move away from the Eredivisie club during the summer transfer window, with Premier League quartet Manchester United, Arsenal, Southampton and Leeds United all credited with an interest.
Man United allegedly agreed personal terms with Gakpo but a deal failed to materialise, while both Southampton and Leeds were understood to have seen offers for the Netherlands international rejected by PSV.
Although PSV managed to keep hold of Gakpo, speculation continues to swirl regarding his long-term future at the club, and Brands has revealed that there is an agreement in place for the forward to leave the club if his asking price is met.
"I can say with my hand on my heart that there has been no offer for Cody to which the management or the supervisory board have said: we must do this," Brands told Voetbal International.
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"We did state that if there were certain offers, we would have to sell. Not only from a financial point of view, but also because agreements were made with the Gakpo camp before my time."
Brands admitted earlier this week that Gakpo had become unsettled towards the end of the summer window after learning of interest from Man United.
"Cody has had a difficult preparation with us because he has spoken with Manchester United," the 60-year-old told Dutch news outlet ED.
"They didn't come until mid-August and didn't go through. I even think Cody wouldn't have left at the end of the transfer window, if the right amount had been offered. There has been no bid that approached the lower bound of what we agreed with Cody."
The former Everton chief has also elaborated on Leeds' late pursuit of the forward, adding: "It was €30m [up front] plus €13m [in add-ons], of which only €2m were realistic. For example, we would get €6m if they made it to the Champions League.
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"Bonuses are only good for me if they are realistic. This was the very best offer and we all said no to that."
Leeds are allegedly planning to reignite their interest in Gakpo in January, while it is thought that Man United, Arsenal and Southampton all still hold an interest in the forward ahead of the winter window.
Gakpo, who still has four years remaining on his contract, excelled in front of goal for PSV last season, scoring 21 times and registering 15 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions.
The 6ft 2in forward has since made an electric start to the new campaign, recording 10 goals and nine assists in 13 matches across all tournaments, including eight strikes and six assists in just seven Eredivisie games.
Gakpo, who is allegedly looking to change agents before the New Year, is currently away with Louis van Gaal's Netherlands squad ahead of two UEFA Nations League fixtures against Poland and Belgium.
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