Liverpool working on a move to sign £87m Gakpo upgrade who’s “Mbappe-like”
Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo provided a brilliant assist for Mohamed Salah’s goal in the Merseyside derby in the Premier League against Everton last weekend.
The Netherlands international has not been particularly impressive throughout the 2025/26 campaign, but there is no denying that his pass for Salah’s strike was sublime.
It was his second assist in as many Premier League matches, having also assisted the Egypt international against Fulham, and the winger is up to six for the season in all competitions.
Gakpo, though, has not scored in his last 13 appearances for club and country combined and is yet to reach ten goals or ten assists in all competitions, despite playing 47 times for the Reds.
The Dutchman has not provided consistent quality at the top end of the pitch for Arne Slot, which could see his place in the starting line-up put under pressure this summer.
Liverpool working on deal to sign Serie A star
The summer window is not too far away now and Liverpool are already looking at players who could come in to bolster their squad to compete for the Premier League trophy next term.
Gakpo’s underwhelming form in the final third for the Reds across all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign means that the club may look to upgrade on him in the off-season.
According to SportsBoomone of the attackers Liverpool have their eye on ahead of the summer transfer window is Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz.
The report claims that the Reds are working on a deal to sign the Turkey international in a move that could see a player going the other way along with a transfer fee, although no specific player is mentioned.
It adds that Juventus are not willing to listen to any offers that go below £87m in the summer, which means that Liverpool will have to pay serious money or ‘swap’ one of their valuable assets to bring the forward to Anfield.
SportsBoom also reveals that Manchester United and teams from London in the Premier League are also interested in signing Yildiz, possibly creating a fierce race for his signature.
How Kenan Yildiz would be a Cody Gakpo upgrade for Liverpool
As aforementioned, Gakpo has underwhelmed at Anfield this season because he has not offered a consistent threat as a scorer or as a creator of goals in the Premier League.
Yildiz, however, has been a consistent scorer and creator in the Serie A for Juventus this term, ranking highly among players in the league for key passes and ‘big chances’ created.
|
Most in 25/26 Serie A |
|
|---|---|
|
Key passes |
Big chances created |
|
Federico Dimarco (86) |
Federico Dimarco (30) |
|
Kenan Yildiz (71) |
Charles De Ketelaere (17) |
|
Nicolo Barella (67) |
Kenan Yildiz (15) |
|
Sebastiano Esposito (59) |
Nicolo Barella (14) |
|
Juan Miranda (59) |
Nico Paz (11) |
Only Federico Dimarco, of Inter, has created more chances in the Serie A this season than the Turkish talent, whilst Cody Gakpo ranks 14th in the Premier League for ‘big chances’ created (ten) and ninth for key passes (49).
As well as being an exceptional creative threat on the left flank, Yildiz has scored ten goals from 7.83 xG in the league, only missing three ‘big chances’ in total.
Gakpo has only scored six goals from 7.18 xG in the Premier League for Liverpool, missing six ‘big chances’, which suggests that the £87m-rated Serie A star would also offer more to the Reds as a clinical finisher.
Yildiz, who writer Danny Corcoran claimed has “[Kylian] Mbappe-like ability”, is a mercurial talent who possesses the ability to score goals and create chances at an impressive rate, cutting in on his right foot from the left flank, as evidenced by his form for Juventus this season.
Gakpo, unfortunately, has not offered as much consistency in his play as a scorer or as a creator of goals for Slot, which may be why the club are now working on a potential deal to bring the Turkey international to Anfield in the summer.
The 20-year-old talent could arrive on Merseyside as a huge upgrade on the Dutchman because he could win more games for Liverpool by scoring more goals and creating more chances for his teammates, if he can adapt to the Premier League.
That is why Richard Hughes and Slot must now push to reach an agreement to sign the Serie A superstar in the upcoming summer transfer window.
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