Tottenham have been circling Cody Gakpo throughout the transfer window, and Liverpool might well have paid the price in their Premier League opener against Newcastle without the Dutchman. He opened the season with a superb goal, demonstrating tremendous professionalism despite having a provisional agreement with Tottenham since July over a contract running until 2031. However, Gianluca Di Marzio reports — and transfer experts across Europe are now confirming — that Manchester City have seriously entered the race and have made contact with the Netherlands international’s representatives. The Citizens are going through a summer of major changes to their squad. They have brought in 190,000,000 euros from player sales before agreeing Savinho’s move to Tottenham for close to 100,000,000 euros and Omar Marmoush’s loan deal, which includes a potential purchase for almost 60,000,000 euros. Rodri and Reijnders have left, Elliot Anderson has arrived and Ayoub Buadi is expected to follow… But another major signing could be heading to the Etihad.PSG insiders expect Bradley Barcola to leave before the window shuts as talks with Liverpool continue.Tottenham are still pushing to sign Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo.Manchester City also interested in Gakpo but, as of Monday night, are yet to directly approach Liverpool.🔴… pic.twitter.com/jYD2JWj80B— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) August 25, 2026 Enzo Maresca already saw in the opening round that his team are lacking another attacking spark. On top of that, Jeremy Doku is unlikely to return to action before mid-September. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that either City or Tottenham will land Gakpo until September. Liverpool will only agree to sell their former PSV winger if they manage to sign two wide forwards in the next days before the transfer window closes. Manchester City in the meantime reached an agreement with Palmeiras over the signing of 22-year-old winger Alan, in a deal worth around 40 million euros.African gem for 100 million? Bring him overLiverpool’s absolute priority remains the hugely expensive Bradley Barcola, for whom Paris Saint-Germain are demanding around 150,000,000 euros, while Ibrahim Mbaye and Yankuba Minteh are considered alternative options. There is no official Manchester City bid on Liverpool’s table yet, but the Citizens have room in their budget to make a move for the 27-year-old, who joined Liverpool from PSV three and a half years ago for 42,000,000 euros. Gakpo scored 10 goals and provided six assists for the Reds in all competitions last season. Overall, he has made 181 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 51 goals and registering 23 assists.England League Cup Round 2Tuesday21.00: (2.90) Cardiff (3.50) Norwich (2.35) 21.30: (5.40) Doncaster (3.70) Middlesbrou. (1.60) 21.45: (1.67) Barnsley (3.60) Crewe (4.90) 21.45: (2.70) Blackburn (3.35) Sheffield Utd (2.60) 21.45: (3.50) Blackpool (3.45) Lincoln City (2.10) 21.45: (3.20) Cambridge (3.40) Millwall (2.25) 21.45: (2.20) Fleetwood (3.25) Shrewsbury (3.15) 21.45: (1.47) Ipswich (4.10) Leicester (6.25) 21.45: (4.90) Plymouth (3.60) Coventry (1.67) 21.45: (6.25) Sheffield W. (4.10) Wolverhampton (1.48) 21.45: (2.60) Southampton (3.25) West Ham (2.55) 21.45: (2.55) Stevenage (3.05) Reading (2.75)21.45: (2.65) Stoke (2.95) Hull (2.75) 21.45: (3.10) Walsall (3.30) Leyton (2.20) 21.45: (2.00) Watford (3.45) Peterborough (3.45) 22.00: (4.50) Birmingham (3.50) Brentford (1.75) 22.00: (2.25) Nott.Forest (3.40) Leeds (3.20) Wednesday21.45: (3.05) Bradford (3.25) Burnley (2.25) 21.45: (1.35) Newcastle (5.30) WBA (8.00) 21.45: (1.25) Tottenham (6.50) Charlton (10.5) 22.00: (6.00) Preston (3.90) Everton (1.52) Thursday21.30: (1.18) Chelsea (6.50) Luton (13.0) 22.00: (1.18) Fulham (6.50) Wimbledon (13.0) * odds are subject to change