Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk wants Liverpool to keep Cody Gakpo ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
Talks are continuing with rivals Manchester City over a potential move for the Dutch forward, who is valued at around £80million ($108m).
The Athletic reported on Saturday that the Etihad Stadium is Gakpo’s preferred destination, having also been pursued by Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
With Bradley Barcola undergoing a medical on Sunday ahead of completing his £123m transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool will only sanction Gakpo’s exit in the next 48 hours if they can line up a deal for another winger prior to the window closing.
Asked if he wanted Gakpo to stay, Van Dijk told reporters after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest: “What do you think? He’s a quality player. I think we should keep quality players.
“Let’s see what the next few days bring. I want him to stay not only because he’s a quality player but also because he’s a friend of mine. He’s very important for us.”
Van Dijk is excited about the prospect of having Barcola on board and believes signing the France international from the European champions underlines the club’s enduring pull.
“He’s a good player, someone with pace,” he said. “I remember a goal he scored against Chelsea (in the Champions League last season). If he comes here then he will be welcomed with open arms.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that a club like Liverpool is very attractive to very good players. This is one of the biggest clubs in the world. We all know that we’re going through a little bit of a transition. You either want to be a part of it or you don’t.
“Adding quality to the squad always makes a difference. Let’s see what the next few days bring. After Tuesday we have to fight for everything with no regrets.”
Van Dijk also criticised the decision to award the visitors a penalty midway through the second half when Alisson was adjudged to have brought down Neco Williams. Morgan Gibbs-White scored to put Forest ahead for the second time but Victor Munoz’s first goal for the club salvaged a point late on.
“It’s better if I don’t speak too much about it but my opinion is that it wasn’t a penalty,” he added. “I’ve seen it back and in my opinion it was wrong. I don’t know who the VAR was. We also have to speak about what happened before that situation. The switching off (from a throw) killed us but it was still no penalty. A big moment didn’t go our way and we had to fight back again.
“Forest have come here the last three seasons and remained unbeaten. That shouldn’t happen. In all the years I’ve been at the club it hadn’t happened. It’s down to us to make sure we are a unit – every member of the squad together with our fans.”
