Liverpool announce surprise new deal out of the blue before Arsenal clash

Cody Gakpo has put pen to paper on a fresh contract at Liverpool in stark contrast to Luis Diaz's Anfield departure. With the news coming out of the blue, just 24 hours before the Reds face Arsenal at Anfield in the Premier League, the Netherlands star has committed his future to the club.

Following his arrival on Merseyside midway through the 2022/23 campaign, he has netted 42 times and provided 16 assists across 124 appearances, cementing his place in Reds folklore after claiming the Premier League crown last term. His future had been in doubt with Bayern Munich keen and Arne Slot's acquisition of several new attacking additions. Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike have already completed their moves, whilst the club persist with their pursuit of Newcastle United's unsettled striker Alexander Isak.

However, the 26-year-old Gakpo, who made the switch from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, has begun the present season impressively and has now signed a new deal. Gakpo commented: "It feels amazing to extend the contract here at this beautiful club. I'm very grateful and hopefully I can give back many more beautiful moments.

"I feel at home, my family feels at home and that's also a big decision always. They feel good. I'm very happy at the club, a good group, good team-mates, so the life around the football itself is very good and I enjoy every moment of it. I'm very grateful that I can extend.

"I think we have a very good squad at the moment and we're trying to build on something special again. Obviously last season we won the league, so we have to defend it with the best of our capabilities. We want to also win the Champions League and the other cups, so that's what we are going for.

"For me personally, I think I'd like to keep on developing, so every year has to be a better year than the year before. That's what we're aiming for."

Gakpo found the net during Liverpool's thrilling 4-2 season opener against Bournemouth and maintained his impressive streak with a brace of assists at St James' Park last weekend.

This development follows speculation linking the attacker with a potential switch to German giants Bayern Munich during the summer transfer window. This represents a stark contrast to Liverpool's approach with Diaz prior to his exit.

Before the Colombian completed his move to Bayern in July, reports suggest he was never presented with fresh terms despite having two years left on his deal, with Liverpool showing no desire to extend his stay.

Diaz arrived at Anfield in January 2022 and netted 41 times during his spell with the club. He has made an encouraging start to his German adventure, registering two goals and two assists across three appearances in all competitions.