Manchester United and other interested clubs to pay ‘record’ fee for Dutch World Cup star Cody Gakpo, says PSV director of football Marcel Brands

Manchester United have been told they must be prepared to pay a ‘record’ fee to sign PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo.

The Dutchman is a prime target for the Red Devils, who will be looking to sign a new striker on the transfer market following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.

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Gakpo could be likely to leave PSV in the coming months, although director of football Marcel Brands has now issued a warning to any teams who may be interested in signing him.

The current Eredivisie outfit record amount for a player is around £39million when Hirving Lozano moved to Napoli in 2019, but a move for Gakpo is expected to be a much higher figure.

Speaking on PSV fan chat show ‘Eeuwig Trouw’ via Football365, Brands revealed: “You have to be realistic. When you talk about Cody Gakpo and the price, how many clubs are able to buy a player? of this caliber?

“You are talking about maybe 10 or 12 clubs in Europe. You have to need a player in that position and be able and willing to spend the money in January, which is normally less hectic than the summer. We we still have to see if everything goes through. It doesn’t have a clause or anything.

“And no amount was agreed either. The deals that were made were there before I arrived. The amounts weren’t discussed, but if the right club comes, Cody would like to go.

“These agreements have already been concluded before my arrival. It must be a record transfer for PSV anyway. Then you know which direction it should go.

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United were linked with a move for Gakpo in the summer, but Erik ten Hag opted to loot former club Ajax to sign Antony instead.

It’s clear that their interest in the winger has by no means waned as the PSV striker has had a superb season so far.

He has 13 goals and 17 assists in 24 games across all competitions for the club, making him one of the hottest prospects in European football.

Gakpo also enjoyed a superb World Cup campaign with the Netherlands, scoring three goals in the group stage before eventually being knocked out by Argentina in the quarter-finals.

The player himself hasn’t ruled out a move in the January transfer window, saying he wants to ‘reach the highest level’.

United have already spent over £200million this summer on new signings, but if they also want to bring in Gakpo, their spending for the season could increase even further.