Tottenham Eyes Cody Gakpo as Liverpool Adjust Stance

Tottenham Hotspur have already thrown heavyweight money at this summer’s rebuild. Around £230 million has gone on Sandro Tonali, Matheus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka. That sort of outlay usually signals the end of a window.

At Spurs, it has only reset the bar.

Andoni Iraola still wants more in the final third. At least one winger, possibly a striker as well, is expected to arrive before the window shuts. The club’s recruitment drive has now pushed them towards a bold, complicated target: Cody Gakpo.

Door opens – slightly – for Gakpo

For weeks, Liverpool’s answer on Gakpo was simple: not for sale. A squad already light in wide areas could hardly afford to lose another option, especially after a disappointing 2025/26 campaign from several forwards, Gakpo included.

But the market has a way of shifting positions.

Liverpool have already brought in Victor Munoz and are working aggressively to reshape their attack for the post-Mohamed Salah era. The long-term heir to Salah’s role has still not arrived, yet the club have accelerated talks to sign Bradley Barcola and another PSG player, with one of those pursuits receiving the green light.

That movement has changed the temperature around Gakpo.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Tottenham are now in “direct talks” with the Dutchman’s camp over a possible move, with the situation far more fluid than it was in July. Back then, as Romano puts it, the door was “closed”. Now it stands ajar – but only under two clear conditions.

• First, Liverpool must be satisfied with the financial package.
• Second, the club’s push for Barcola will heavily influence their final decision.

If the Barcola deal progresses and the numbers on the table for Gakpo hit Liverpool’s valuation, the winger’s path to north London is there. If not, the door slams shut again.

Liverpool hold the cards – and the price

Gakpo is tied to Liverpool for another four years, a contract that gives the Reds enormous leverage. They are under no pressure to sell and have already set a high bar for negotiations.

Reports this week suggest Liverpool want around £72 million, using Anthony Gordon’s £69 million switch from Newcastle United to FC Barcelona as a benchmark. In a market where Premier League attackers command premium fees, that figure is designed to test how serious Tottenham really are.

Spurs, for their part, see Gakpo as a leading candidate for their wide options, alongside Manchester City’s Savinho. Both players, however, are at clubs keen to keep them until replacements are secured. That makes every step of this chase a waiting game, dictated as much by Liverpool and City’s incoming business as by Tottenham’s ambition.

For now, as Romano notes, “#THFC are trying.” How hard they are prepared to push, and how much they are willing to pay, will decide whether those efforts turn into a breakthrough.

Striker hunt runs in parallel

The winger pursuit is only half the story. Tottenham also want a striker, and the shortlist is already taking shape.

Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, revealed that Spurs are “exploring the possibility of signing a striker this summer” and have discussed “several names internally, including Omar Marmoush.” The Wolfsburg forward is one of the options on the table, though talks have not yet advanced into anything close to a final decision.

Nicolas Jackson’s name has also surfaced, but the reality is far cooler than the headlines. Despite a flurry of reports over the last 24 hours, Romano is clear: there is “nothing close or imminent” with Tottenham for the Chelsea striker. He is “not a priority” and there are “no advanced negotiations” – simply one of a cluster of forwards considered in internal discussions.

The more serious noise around Jackson is coming from elsewhere.

Villa, Jackson and Emery’s pull

Aston Villa view Jackson very differently. Romano describes him as one of their “priority targets”, with Unai Emery keen to reunite with a player he knows well from their time together at Villarreal. Their relationship is excellent, and Emery would “love to work with him again.”

The problem for Villa is structural as much as financial. They have already taken Alejandro Garnacho on loan from Chelsea this window, which rules out another temporary deal from Stamford Bridge. Any move for Jackson would have to be permanent, and that instantly raises the stakes.

Villa’s pursuit now hangs on how much they can spend and how far Chelsea are willing to negotiate on a full transfer. The admiration is clear; the feasibility is not.

Spurs at a crossroads in attack

Tottenham’s summer has already been one of the most aggressive in Europe, but their attacking business will define how this window is remembered. Gakpo sits at the heart of that question: a player Liverpool do not need to sell, but might, if their own rebuild clicks into place and the money is right.

Spurs are pushing on two fronts – a winger like Gakpo, a striker from a list that includes Marmoush and, at a greater distance, Jackson. The squad is stronger, the intent is obvious.

The next move belongs to Liverpool’s hierarchy and Tottenham’s negotiators. Does this become the moment Spurs land a statement forward from a direct rival, or the point where an already lavish window runs into its first hard stop?