Transfer semantics at play again as PSV chief calls Leeds United Cody Gakpo bid into question

Leeds director of football Victor Orta flew to Eindhoven for talks on Wednesday, a day before the deadline, and the Whites believed they were in with a serious chance of getting their target before a u-turn from the Dutch club and their star man.

Speaking on PSV TV in a recap of this summer’s window, however, de Jong said at no point were they convinced that they should sell Gakpo to the Premier League club.

“Leeds United’s director flew in and talked to Cody," he said.

"We received and listened to Leeds, but in the end, no concrete offer was put on the table where we thought we should sell him now.

“I think everyone knows that a club has to make an outgoing transfer every year. That’s in the budget. So did we, but in the end, there was not such a good offer on the table that we really considered letting him go. It’s hard, it was hard for Cody too. We got together on Thursday morning to talk about it.”

Leeds made little secret of their interest in Gakpo as one of their key targets this summer but the YEP understands PSV had made it clear he was unavailable to the Whites until three days prior to the deadline.

And it was with 24 hours to go in the window that Leeds appeared to have leapt in front of Southampton as the likeliest destination for Gakpo, only for the situation to change dramatically by 1.30am on Thursday morning when the player was taken off the table by PSV.

The comments from de Jong about a lack of ‘concrete offer’ have led to question marks over the strength of Leeds’ attempts to sign Gakpo, for whom Elland Road sources say they were willing to spend €43m, but once again transfer semantics appear to be at play. Orta might not have had that exact bid emailed through to the PSV offices, but he was physically present and in negotiations with Marcel Brands to state the Leeds case and put forward their proposal. Had talks reached a point where PSV were ready to say farewell to their attacker, or he set his heart on the move, Leeds could then have made the bid official and started the ball rolling on paperwork.

A similar confusion arose in January when Leeds insisted they had received no official bids for stars Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, because the likes of West Ham United and Aston Villa were made aware that their interest, which included verbal expressions of their valuations for the pair, was not going to lead to a sale. At no stage did it reach the point of official offers on the desk of the club secretary that had to be formally rejected.

In the case of Gakpo, it appears as if the player’s reticence and PSV’s contentment to keep him, were the rocks upon which Leeds’ bid foundered, rather than any lack of desire on their behalf to force it through.

Gakpo has since told Dutch broadcaster NOS of the intervention made by Holland boss Louis van Gaal.

“He said I had to follow my gut feeling, but to get a transfer in a season in which a World Cup will be played might not be ideal for a player,” said Gakpo, to Dutch broadcaster NOS.

“We then listed the options and the choice fell on PSV.”

The winger’s arrival would have made necessary the departure of Daniel James, on loan, in order to help finance the initial payments to PSV. James did leave Leeds on deadline day regardless, however, with Willy Gnonto becoming the Whites’ deadline day signing. That was a move brought forward from January 2023, when Leeds had originally planned to buy the 18-year-old Italy international from Zurich.

Leeds majority owner Andrea Radrizzani Tweeted on deadline day that the club would keep working on Gakpo and Orta’s conversations with PSV, even as they decided to keep the player, did little to dissuade the Whites from a belief that they could be in with a chance of a deal come January.

This transfer, however, does not have the same air of inevitability as the one that brought Brenden Aaronson to Elland Road in the summer, after knocked-back bids in January. Gakpo is on the radar of a number of Champions League clubs and if PSV are convinced to sell at the turn of the year, Leeds will undoubtedly face stiff competition and a likely price rise if he continues impressing in the Eredivisie.and Europa League.

For now, at least, Gakpo will remain one who got away in the summer of 2022, alongside Eddie Nketiah, Charles De Ketelaere, Hwang Hee-chan and Bamba Dieng.