Manchester United Board Gives Manager Go-Signal To Sign Arsenal Coveted Target

Manchester United is now reportedly in the lead to bring Cody Gakpo to Old Trafford. Prestige/Soccrates/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

Manchester United is reportedly in the lead for the services of Cody Gakpo
Arsenal continues to look for players to fill in the void of Gabriel Jesus
The Gunners have allegedly prioritized the signing of Mykhaylo Mudryk next month

Manchester United is moving ahead in its pursuit of Cody Gakpo, the same player that Arsenal was reportedly eyeing to take the place of an injured Gabriel Jesus.

According to 90Min, the Manchester United board has given Erik ten Hag the go-signal to sign PSV star Cody Gakpo.

This was after claims came out that Arsenal had wanted to sign the 23-year-old Dutch player to fill in the void of an injured Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus injured his knee at the World Cup 2022 and is projected to be sidelined for about three months.

Hence, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is expected to skim the free-agent market and likely shop for another striker in the January transfer window.

Despite already having Eddie Nketiah in the fold, the absence of Jesus is expected to be telling.

As a result, the Gunners have been linked to several strikers, one of which is Gakpo.

Per the report by the Mirror, the Gunners are bent on signing the Dutch midfielder in the January transfer window.

However, it appears the Red Devils have jumped the gun on them and have already started working on bringing Gakpo to Old Trafford.

It would also be best to note that Arsenal and Manchester United are not the only teams interested in getting Gakpo to their respective folds.

Newcastle United is another team that has been linked to Gakpo, something that has been going on for months now.

The growing interest in Gakpo is understandable as he found the back of the net 13 times and dished off 17 assists in just 23 appearances for the Dutch outfit this season.

Moreover, he made a good account of himself at the World Cup for the Netherlands and had three goals in five games across his name, a notable contribution to the nation's quarter-final run in Qatar.

Outside Gakpo, the Gunners are believed to be leaning on a move for Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykhaylo Mudryk.

No less than David Ornstein confirmed that he is Arteta's top target.

Mudryk is seen as a long-term target for Arteta and the Gunners, meaning Gabriel Martinelli or Bukayo Saka could be moved to the frontline while Jesus is out recovering from his knee injury.