Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has expressed his desire for Cody Gakpo to remain at the club, with Manchester City reportedly closing in on the Dutch international before Tuesday's Premier League transfer deadline.

Gakpo is expected to be pushed down the pecking order at Anfield by the arrival of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for a fee that could rise to $166 million, making the Frenchman the second-most expensive player in Premier League history.

In three and a half years at Liverpool, Gakpo has scored 51 goals and played a major role in the club's 20th English top-flight title in the 2024-25 campaign. The 27-year-old has made a bright start to this season, scoring one goal and providing an assist as Liverpool have drawn their opening two games 2-2 against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest under Andoni Iraola.

Van Dijk said: "He's a quality player, and I think we should keep quality players, but let's see what the next three days bring. Obviously, it's pretty clear that I want him to stay, not only because he is the quality player that he is, but also [because] he's a friend of mine, and I think he will be very important for us."

Van Dijk also addressed the club's transition: "I think Liverpool are still one of the biggest clubs in the world. Obviously, we all know that we're going through a transition, and you either want to be part of it, or you don't. I'm part of it now."

On Barcola, he added: "He's a very good player. If he comes, he'll be welcomed with open arms, but until it's there, there's no point speaking about it now."

Iraola has had an early awakening as Liverpool's defensive issues have been exposed, but Van Dijk remains optimistic: "It takes some time, but obviously we all want it to work as soon as possible and for 90 minutes. We have to score more; we have to concede less. Nottingham Forest came here three times in the last three seasons and came away unbeaten, and that shouldn't happen."

Source: www.aljazeera.com