Cody Gakpo is staying at Liverpool. Manchester City bid £75 million plus £5 million in add-ons, Liverpool rejected it, and the pursuit is over with all sides in direct communication about it.
It closes a saga that ran the length of the window. Gakpo verbally agreed terms with Tottenham in July and the move never happened, because Liverpool set a condition rather than a price: they would sell only once they had signed two wingers of their own, with Bradley Barcola the priority. City came in late, talking first to his agents and then to Liverpool, and found the same answer.
He has been playing throughout it. He set up Alexander Isak's equaliser against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, in a 2-2 draw Liverpool rescued twice, and was substituted on 71 minutes. That assist was Liverpool's only goal from open play in a match they spent most of chasing.
What Liverpool keep is a forward who has scored and created in every season at the club and who now stays in a squad that has drawn both league games under Andoni Iraola. What City lose is the fallback for an attack they have spent the summer selling from, having sent Savinho and Omar Marmoush to Tottenham and Nico González to Newcastle, and having agreed £65 million for Iliman Ndiaye earlier this evening.
City are now fully focused on Enzo Fernández, where they have made their first official approach to Chelsea with about twenty eight hours left.