Will Manchester United Sign Cody Gakpo as Ronaldo's Replacement? Ten Hag Offers Update

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has reacted to the club's links with PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo.

Gakpo has a contract with PSV until 2026, but there have been rumors of his departure from the Dutch club for some time now. In January 2023, Manchester United will be on the lookout for a forward following Cristiano Ronaldo's recent exit from Old Trafford.

In a recent press conference, when Ten Hag was asked about Manchester United's stance in their chase of 23-year-old Gakpo, the manager replied, "I cannot give comment on specific players, I will never do. I've told you before, in the summer as well, when you talked about a lot of players. Each player is under contract and I respect that but we make sure we are working in the background to get the right players in."

Manchester United, who are looking at Gakpo as a replacement for Ronaldo, were first linked with Gakpo during the 2022 summer window when the club was convinced they could manage to sign both Antony and Gakpo ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. The Red Devils initially expected to sign Antony for $54 million, meaning the club would still have around $27 million for Gakpo.

However, that changed when Ajax kept increasing their asking price for Antony and eventually, Manchester United landed the Brazil striker for $94 million on a five-year contract.

Meanwhile, Gakpo himself confirmed recently that he never had official talks with Manchester United last summer, before adding that he would think about it if the club approaches him in the upcoming transfer windows.

Gakpo finished his 2022 World Cup campaign with three goals in five matches for the Netherlands, who were eliminated following a quarter-final defeat to Argentina. The young winger headed into the World Cup on the back of a fine run with PSV in the 2022-23 season, scoring 13 goals and 17 assists in 24 matches in all competitions.

Courtesy of these impressive performances, Gakpo's current market value is on the rise and is currently around $45 million, according to Transfermarkt.

The owners of Manchester United, The Glazer family, are believed to be looking for potential buyers and since their financial situation is not the best at present, the Red Devils could miss out on signing Gakpo in the January transfer window.