{
  "id": 4440102,
  "title": "Van Dijk wants Gakpo to stay at Liverpool amid Man City interest",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/van-dijk-wants-gakpo-to-stay-at-liverpool-amid-man-city-interest-4440102",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-30T14:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/psl/2026-08-30-van-dijk-wants-gakpo-to-stay-at-liverpool-amid-man-city-interest/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Virgil van Dijk is optimistic Liverpool will retain Cody Gakpo, despite Manchester City showing interest in the Dutch international. City is reportedly prepared to pay £75 million for the player, who has played a pivotal role in Liverpool's title win last season. Gakpo has scored 51 goals in his three-and-a-half years at Anfield and has contributed significantly to the team's recent success. He is keen to stay at Liverpool, not only for his talent but also because he considers himself a friend of the club.\n\nMeanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola is poised to join Liverpool for a fee that could reach £123 million, making him one of the club's most expensive acquisitions in history. Van Dijk acknowledges that Gakpo could be pushed down the pecking order at Anfield with Barcola's arrival. However, he remains confident Liverpool will always attract top talent and emphasizes the club's status as one of the world's biggest football institutions. Both players are expected to be warmly welcomed to the team.",
  "summary": "Virgil van Dijk is hoping Liverpool hang on to Cody Gakpo with Manchester City reportedly closing in on the Dutch international before Tuesday's transfer deadline.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Van Dijk wants Gakpo to stay at Liverpool amid Man City interest",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/van-dijk-wants-gakpo-to-stay-at-liverpool-amid-man-city-interest",
        "published": "2026-08-30T12:28:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Van Dijk wants Cody Gakpo to stay at Liverpool despite Man City interest",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/van-dijk-wants-cody-gakpo-to-stay-at-liverpool-despite-man-city",
        "published": "2026-08-30T13:10:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Van Dijk wants Gakpo to stay at Liverpool amid Man City interest",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/van-dijk-wants-gakpo-to-stay-at-liverpool-amid-man-city-interest-4441083",
        "published": "2026-08-30T14:30:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Nottingham Forest target Liverpool’s Giorgi Mamardashvili as new No.1 amid late-window reshuffle",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/nottingham-forest-target-liverpools-giorgi-mamardashvili-as-new-no-1",
        "published": "2026-08-30T14:55:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}