The Athletic (subscription required) has recently reported that Barcelona are showing interest in PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo, who is also a reported AZ Alkmaar target. It is believed that the Catalan outfit could face competition from Arsenal, Liverpool and Bayern Munich in pursuit of the Dutch wing wizard in the summer.
The 22-year-old is enjoying a brilliant campaign in Dutch football after producing a series of eye-catching performances down the left flank. Gakpo has featured in 37 matches for the Dutch outfit this season, netting 16 goals and grabbing 15 assists across all competitions.
The Dutch sensation has established himself as a productive winger by averaging 3.0 shots, 3.0 key passes, 1.9 crosses and 3.0 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Dutch Eredivisie. Gakpo has even been tidy when distributing possession in the opposition half, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 77.3% in the top tier of Dutch football (stats via whoscored).
Gakpo is an excellent dribbler with the ball and can use his quickness to leave his marker to bite the dust out on the wide areas. The Dutch talent packs a lot of power with his shot attempts and has got a good work rate as well. Gakpo is primarily a left-sided wide player but can even act as a right-winger or operate as a centre-forward. He has added plenty of goals and assists to his game this season, so he will be a perfect acquisition for Barca to pull off during the summer transfer period.
At 22, Gakpo has got a very promising future ahead of him and could go on to become a superstar at the Nou Camp. He will add more competition for Adama Traore, Ferran Torres and Memphis Depay for a regular spot in Xavi‘s starting XI.