Liverpool.com

Familiar Liverpool foe wants to 'terminate contract' before Anfield showdown  Liverpool.com

The future of Cody Gakpo has appeared to be uncertain over the summer transfer window, with the Liverpool star attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks

Liverpool star Cody Gakpo now appears unlikely to leave the club this summer, according to reports, as his proposed switch to Tottenham looks set to be put on hold.

The 27-year-old has been heavily linked with a switch to North London over the course of the transfer window, with Roberto De Zerbi keen to bolster his attacking ranks before the market closes.

It seemingly started as discussions with intermediaries about a deal, before reports claimed that Tottenham had made its interest in the Netherlands international formal. Other reports stated that Gakpo had reached an agreement on personal terms in principle, though there were still tough club-to-club negotiations to follow.

With Liverpool setting a huge fee on the winger, due to the lack of desire to sell and the inflated transfer spend elsewhere in the market, it always appeared a difficult deal to do.

That much is now evident, as reports suggest Tottenham has cooled on the forward, focusing attention elsewhere.

That development is combined with a report from The Times claiming that Tottenham is in active talks with Manchester City to sign Savinho.

There has been long-standing interest in the Brazilian, with a fee in the range of $115 million being discussed between the two teams in the final two weeks of the market.

That may rule out Gakpo's potential move, though Tottenham has been linked with signing more than one winger before the window closes, having already invested heavily in the backline and midfield.

For now, however, Liverpool will continue to prepare for the new season with the Dutch winger firmly part of the team's plans moving forward.

The early signs of Gakpo under Iraola are good, with the star featuring twice in preseason, picking up a goal and assist in the final friendly match before the new campaign gets underway.

If that continues into the match against Newcastle and beyond, then it'll prove the right decision from the Reds to stick with the star forward.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Tottenham and Chelsea have a real chance of breaking into the Premier League top four this season, with both clubs having spent big in the transfer market

Jamie Carragher believes Tottenham and Chelsea are well-positioned to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League during the upcoming season, with Spurs still eager to sign Cody Gakpo this summer.

Spurs head into the new campaign with Roberto De Zerbi at the helm, having steered them clear of relegation, and with the advantage of two months already spent embedding his footballing philosophy at the club, followed by a full pre-season. Chelsea, meanwhile, have appointed former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso as their new manager, who took charge last month.

Neither club will have European commitments to contend with this term following disappointing campaigns last season, with Chelsea finishing 10th and Tottenham 17th. Both sides have nonetheless invested heavily over the summer to resolve a number of shortcomings, and Sky Sports pundit Carragher reckons they are primed to shake up the established order.

"There's a real opportunity for Spurs and Chelsea, without European football next season, to make a real fist of it.

"There's a lot of questions about Manchester United playing more European games, Iraola coming in as well at Liverpool, and Unai Emery and Aston Villa losing a lot of their best players, [there] in the Champions League as well.

"So, there's a real opportunity for Spurs and Chelsea to get into those Champions League positions this season," the former centre-back remarked on the latest instalment of The Overlap Fan Debate, sponsored by Sky Bet.

Tottenham have invested $321 million this summer on Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, while securing Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka on free transfers, reports Football London.

High-profile departures have included Cristian Romero, Djed Spence, Guglielmo Vicario, Radu Dragusin and $67 million signing Luka Vuskovic.

De Zerbi is seeking to bring in fresh attacking talent over the coming fortnight, with Savinho, Gakpo and Omar Marmoush amongst those featuring on his target list.

"Do you think the business that Tottenham have done and the money that they've spent - it was a little bit eye-opening, especially Tonali's fee, you think, like £100 million.

"Do you think that comes from the power De Zerbi had and the hold he's got on the club?" suggested Carragher.

"In terms of - he wasn't sure about coming in, they gave him a really big contract: if I stay, I want this, this, and this, or I'm going. It's almost like they had to give him what he wants."

Tottenham risks angering Liverpool fans with cheeky Andy Robertson photo  Liverpool.com

Tottenham takes key step in Cody Gakpo transfer saga with Liverpool move  Liverpool.com

Liverpool given Cody Gakpo transfer advice after Tottenham's $300M splurge  Liverpool.com

Liverpool stance on Djed Spence transfer after links to Tottenham and England star  Liverpool.com

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has been linked with a potential transfer to Tottenham this summer, as interest ramps up in the Netherlands international.

Cody Gakpo is claimed to be open to the idea of joining Tottenham this summer, if the club can agree a deal with Liverpool in the final few weeks of the transfer market.

That's according to CaughtOffside, which reports that Spurs were given encouragement over a possible deal, having made contact with the player's representatives.

It comes as doubts continue to circle the future of Gakpo, who returned to preseason training in Merseyside last week, as Liverpool continue to reshape the current options in the forward line.

An exit for Mohamed Salah has prompted the Reds to enter the market for fresh faces up front, looking to somehow replace the goals and influence of the Egyptian international, after he left the club as a free agent.

The arrival of Victor Munoz provided the roster with a quality depth option, but he isn't the direct replacement for Salah in the frontline.

Talks are ongoing for Liverpool to sign Bradley Barcola, with the PSG forward available this summer, and viewed as the one to take on the pressure of being the outlet in the forward line.

However, Tottenham's move for Gakpo could complicate the final few weeks of the transfer market, depending on how discussions progress in the market.

Liverpool's current stance is that no exit will be entertained, but that is with the caveat that a "huge sum" would be considered if it is lodged by Spurs.

The Reds are using the transfer market to be the barometer for what the sum could look like, with Elliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers used as case studies to justify a potentially huge investment from the Premier League rivals.

Gakpo's stance, according to the report from CaughtOffside suggests that he is open to the move, but only if a fee can be agreed in the coming weeks.

That would rule out the possibility of him pushing to leave, which would risk isolating himself before the season starts, but it doesn't rule out an exit either.

For Liverpool, such a move would likely prompt the recruitment team back into action on the market, with Iraola already pleading for a new winger before the loss of one of his experienced stars.

Exactly who would fit under that bracket of a replacement for Gakpo is unknown, but for now, it seems as though Liverpool isn't planning for an exit.

It remains to be seen whether that will change, and if Tottenham is willing to push for a deal in the coming weeks.

Andy Robertson has opened up on his decision to join Tottenham following the expiry of his Liverpool contract, with the left-back admitting he was "excited" to make the move

Andy Robertson has outlined his reasons for joining Tottenham Hotspur after his Liverpool contract ran down this summer.

The Scotland international brought an end to a nine-year spell at Anfield, having been overtaken by Milos Kerkez in the pecking order during his final campaign on Merseyside. Spurs had shown interest in acquiring the left-back in January, though both Liverpool and Robertson felt it would be preferable for him to complete the season at Anfield.

However, with Tottenham maintaining their pursuit, the 32-year-old required little persuasion to join the North London club on a Bosman transfer once his deal expired.

"I'm excited to be here," Robertson said. "I was very fortunate... I've not had to do it (move clubs) for so long. Being at one club for nine years is a long time. But it's also exciting.

"It's perfect for this time in my career and that's why when the opportunity came up to join, I was excited to go for it and now that I'm here, I'm excited to keep progressing in my career and keep doing good things. Hopefully I can do that in a Tottenham shirt.

"I don't think that it's a secret that it nearly happened in January and it didn't for one reason or another. But then once the January window closed, a lot of options came away.

"It was all about making the right decision. I just think this club is a massive club with an amazing training ground, amazing stadium and a big fanbase. I've played here plenty of times and I know that the supporters get right behind their team.

"It's a really big club and a club that's going places. The last couple of years from a league point of view have maybe not been up to the standards that the Tottenham fans expect.

"Last season they showed a lot of tenacity to get to the end and stay up, but now, even being in from day one, there's a huge determination to not allow that to happen again. It's up to us to make sure we're better and to make sure that doesn't happen."

Robertson also revealed that the prospect of working alongside Roberto De Zerbi — who previously managed his former Liverpool teammates James Milner and Adam Lallana during his tenure at Brighton and Hove Albion — proved equally influential in his choice to put pen to paper at Spurs.

"The manager is a huge pull," added. "I've had chats with him, I've had a phone call with him and both him and his staff seem so good at what they do and how they want to play.

"It was a great phone call. We know of each other — he knows me as a player, I know him as a manager and it was just more that we were excited to work with each other.

"He's well-known in world football for being a fantastic manager and the fact that he's here, hopefully I can do really good things under him. I think this is a club that's going places and it's the perfect time for me to be a part of it."

James Maddison joked with brand new Tottenham teammate Andy Robertson for the ex-Liverpool man's stone-faced expressions during their 26-hour preseason tour flight to Oceania

Andy Robertson's first moments pictured as a Tottenham Hotspur player drew up an uncomfortable reality for Liverpool fans who witnessed him in their shirt over the past nine years, but he's already beginning to learn the hard way about Spurs' camaraderie style.

Tottenham started the year with a 1-0 win over MK Dons in a closed-door friendly at Hotspur Way. After that, the squad boarded a plane for a 26-hour trip to play three preseason games in Auckland and Sydney.

James Maddison teased the Scotland captain during the Oceania trip and posted an Instagram story of a stone-faced Robertson from the Spurs midfielder's vantage point.

Meanwhile, Andoni Iraola shut down questions about Alexis Mac Allister's links to Real Madrid.

Maddison captioned the post, "He better liven up if he's my company for this 26-hour flight." The joke hit different for Premier League fans who still believe Robertson's move to Spurs looks strange.

He joined Tottenham on a free transfer after nine trophy-filled years at Liverpool, where he wore No. 26, became known as Robbo, and helped define Jurgen Klopp's best teams.

Robertson moved on from the shirt number part of his old identity and chose to wear the No. 3 shirt after defender Radu Dragusin was unveiled as Fiorentina's next No. 3 on loan. No. 26 at Spurs has remained associated with Tottenham icon Ledley King.

The decision was framed as respect for King and a chance to match the number Robertson wears as Scotland captain. The Scotland national team was eliminated at the World Cup in the group stage, with Brazil and Morocco advancing out of Group C.

Some Liverpool fans continue to share that everything about the move still feels wrong, especially after Spurs' official social media channels used the nickname Robbo.

Robertson has insisted the move is perfect for this stage of his career and called Tottenham a massive club with an amazing stadium, training ground, and fanbase. He also said there is a determination not to repeat last season's 17th-place finish.

Robertson is part of Tottenham's preseason tour squad for New Zealand and Australia under Roberto De Zerbi. He did not play against MK Dons to witness the early world-class strike from newly acquired midfielder Mateus Fernandes to seal the victory.

The squad for the Oceania tour includes Maddison, Robertson, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, Mathys Tel, Sandro Tonali, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Conor Gallagher, and Kevin Danso.

Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski, and Wilson Odobert did not travel as they recover from injuries that kept them out most of last year. Robertson will play against Liverpool for the first time in December, with his first return to Anfield as a Spurs player set for February.