Liverpool FC

Liverpool have exacted revenge for a rare transfer defeat in 2021 by winning the race for Cody Gakpo and prolonging a transfer trend that dates back four ...

Gakpo, at an initial £37m ($45m/€42m), is significantly cheaper, but also walks into a tricky situation at the other end of the East Lancashire road. But United still had a right to expect an awful lot more from a player who ranks as the fourth-most expensive signing in their history. [Virgil van Dijk](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/liverpool-transfer-gakpo-dijk-united-25841555) also turned down the west London outfit, as well as Manchester City, above all because of the opportunity to work with a 'special' manager in Klopp (via [AS](https://en.as.com/en/2020/07/05/soccer/1593941061_553976.html)). United's Sancho move, on the other hand, has been a spectacular failure. Liverpool may have been confident of landing the Englishman up until those wage expectations emerged. In 2021, for instance, United beat Liverpool in the race to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. Klopp and his assistant Pep Lijnders were 'major admirers' of Sancho, and FSG were 'more than happy' to meet Dortmund's £73m demands (via Now, though, they have exacted fresh revenge on Erik ten Hag's side by striking a deal for PSV Eindhoven's Cody Gakpo. [Luis Díaz](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/cody-gakpo-luis-diaz-liverpool-25839710) from FC Porto, but the Colombian 'had the dream of reaching of Liverpool', according to his father, and agreed to join when the Reds swooped in (via the [ECHO](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/luis-diaz-liverpool-tottenham-hotspur-23034401)). [Thiago](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/liverpool-tranfer-bellingham-thiago-fsg-25819549) and [Fabinho](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/fabinho-liverpool-transfer-rebeca-tavares-25735180) both favoured the switch to Anfield over Old Trafford (via [The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/liverpool-thiago-transfer-news-announcement-interview-latest-b484609.html)/ [The Statesman](https://www.thestatesman.com/sports/fabinho-why-i-chose-to-join-liverpool-over-manchester-united-1502641960.html)) while [Darwin Núñez](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/cody-gakpo-transfer-liverpool-nunez-25841111) chose to forego the higher wage offered by the Red Devils to play Champions League football at Anfield (via [David Lynch/The National News](https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2022/06/21/striking-differences-in-liverpool-and-man-citys-big-money-deals-for-nunez-and-haaland/)). [Sign up to the Liverpool.com newsletter here — it only takes a few seconds!](https://www.liverpool.com/newsletter-preference-centre/) [Alisson](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/liverpool-awards-salah-diaz-alisson-25735024) snubbed Chelsea to join the Reds in 2018 because he 'admired Liverpool's history' and believed he could realise his dream of winning the Champions League at Anfield (via [FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/alisson-reveals-why-he-chose-liverpool-over-chelsea)).