Roberto De Zerbi has been heavily involved in Tottenham’s pursuit of Cody Gakpo, with the Italian having spoken to the Liverpool star about his plans.
Spurs have already reached an agreement in principle on personal terms with Gakpo, who is being heavily linked with a move away from Anfield in the dying stages of the transfer window.
Spurs Web has relayed various sources over the last week suggesting that the Liverpool man is keen to complete a move to the Lilywhites.
It turns out that De Zerbi, who played a key role in the signings of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, has also worked his magic on the Netherlands international.
What Roberto De Zerbi told Cody Gakpo to convince him on Tottenham move
TEAMtalk have now revealed that the Spurs head coach has successfully managed to persuade the Dutchman to move to North London.
The Italian spoke to Gakpo about his plans at Spurs and promised the forward a key role in his attacking set-up, thus managing to convince him to make the move.
De Zerbi made it clear to the 27-year-old and his camp just how important he could be to his plans at Tottenham. The conversation is thought to have left Gakpo ‘hugely impressed’.
The Liverpool man is ‘fully convinced’ about the Spurs project and that a move to North London would be the best next step for his career.
The Tottenham boss allegedly told Gakpo that he will not only count on him as an option on the left flank, but also values his ability to play as a central striker.
Gakpo is ‘one step away’ from joining Spurs
TEAMtalk insist that following the Liverpool star’s conversation with De Zerbi, he is now ‘one step away’ from completing the transfer to Tottenham.
The former PSV Eindhoven man’s move to Spurs is now gathering momentum, and there is ‘growing confidence’ that a deal can be struck, due to Gakpo’s keenness to make the switch.
It is made clear that Liverpool have no intention of offering a discount and could demand as much as £70m for the Dutchman. However, this is not expected to be a problem for Spurs, who are prepared to meet the Reds’ demands.