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Liverpool reject Manchester City's £80m bid for Cody Gakpo

Liverpool have turned down a Manchester City bid worth £75m plus £5m in add-ons for Cody Gakpo, according to reports. The Dutch winger had reportedly agreed personal terms with City, but the move collapsed as Liverpool could not find a replacement before the deadline. City may now pursue Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 distinct · 1 masthead · 1 article Version 1 Coverage Aug 31, 2026 Published 4h ago

Liverpool keep Gakpo after City bid rejected

Liverpool have rejected a Manchester City bid for Cody Gakpo worth £75 million up front plus £5 million in add-ons, according to a report from The Daily Star. The 27-year-old Dutch winger had reportedly agreed personal terms with City, but the move broke down because Liverpool were unable to find a suitable replacement on the eve of the transfer deadline.

The report says Liverpool have made a final decision on Gakpo's short-term future and will keep him at Anfield. The news comes after days of speculation linking the former PSV Eindhoven forward with a move to the Etihad.

City may turn to Fernandez

With the Gakpo deal off, Manchester City are reported to be turning their attention to a potential British record transfer for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine playmaker has been a key figure for Chelsea since his move from Benfica in January 2023, but City are reportedly ready to make a blockbuster attempt to sign him.

No further details of City's interest in Fernandez have been disclosed in the report.

Barcola signing and new-look attack

The speculation surrounding Gakpo's future grew as Liverpool closed in on the signing of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth £123 million. Barcola's transfer was confirmed on Monday, according to the report.

Gakpo will not leave Anfield to make room for the Frenchman. Instead, the two are expected to line up on either wing for Liverpool, with Gakpo on the left and Barcola on the right, giving manager Arne Slot a formidable attacking partnership.

What this means for Liverpool

Keeping Gakpo is a significant boost for Liverpool as they push for honours this season. The Dutch international has been in impressive form since joining from PSV in January 2023, scoring regularly and providing creativity in the final third. With Barcola also arriving, Liverpool's attack looks even more potent.

The club's decision to reject City's bid underscores their ambition and their belief that Gakpo is central to their plans going forward. It also sends a clear message to rivals that Liverpool are not willing to sell their key players at any price.

How this outlet told it

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The daily Star

Framing: Highlights Liverpool's final decision on Gakpo and reveals the £80m bid outcome — Neutral and factual, with a sense of ongoing development

as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC

Facts Included:

Liverpool rejected a bid from Manchester City for Cody Gakpo worth £75m up front and £5m in add-ons.
Gakpo is described as a 27-year-old Dutch winger.
Gakpo was said to have agreed terms with City.
The deal broke down because Liverpool could not find a suitable replacement on the eve of deadline day.
City may now attempt to sign Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez in a potential British record transfer.
Liverpool were close to signing Bradley Barcola from PSG in a £123m deal.
Barcola's transfer to Liverpool was confirmed on Monday.
Gakpo and Barcola are expected to play on either wing.

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimManchester City made a bid for Cody Gakpo worth £75m up front and £5m in add-ons.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimLiverpool rejected Manchester City's bid for Cody Gakpo.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimGakpo is a 27-year-old Dutch winger.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimGakpo had agreed personal terms with Manchester City.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe Gakpo deal broke down because Liverpool could not find a suitable replacement on the eve of deadline day.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimManchester City may now attempt to sign Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez in a potential British record transfer.	ConfidenceLow	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimLiverpool were close to signing Bradley Barcola from PSG in a £123m deal.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimBarcola's transfer to Liverpool was confirmed on Monday.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC
ClaimGakpo and Barcola are expected to play on either wing for Liverpool.	ConfidenceLow	StatusSingle-source via The daily Star as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 distinct · 1 masthead · 1 article consulted: The daily Star 9 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-09-01