What could be next for Gakpo?

Following the departure of Mohamed Salah, at least one more attacking signing is expected at Anfield this summer. Liverpool have already signed Victor Munoz from Osasuna for £34.5m and the pursuit of Yan Diomande is heating up.

Talented teenager Rio Ngumoha is also set to play a more prominent role, while Florian Wirtz played off the left for Liverpool at times last season and is featuring there for Germany in the World Cup.

How Andoni Iraola views Wirtz’s best position might well determine the future for Cody Gakpo in the new head coach’s blueprint.

Added competition could allow Gakpo to thrive, as it did when Luis Diaz was at Liverpool.

However, for the first time since joining Liverpool in December 2022, there is the possibility of a move away, with a number of clubs including Tottenham monitoring his situation.

Any transfer would be likely to cost upwards of £60m – a big profit considering the Reds paid an initial £35m when signing him from PSV Eindhoven after the World Cup in 2022.

His goals against Sweden at the weekend offered a timely reminder of his quality, particularly in a game where club team-mate Alexander Isak failed to score.

Continuing to impress at the World Cup may well enhance Liverpool’s desire to retain Gakpo for at least another season.

One need only consider the relative struggles of Isak and Wirtz in their debut campaigns at Anfield to be reminded of just how challenging it can be for new signings.

But as Iraola and Liverpool’s recruitment team reshape an attack that laboured last season, the Gakpo conundrum is one to keep an eye on this summer.

Read more about Gakpo’s future here