RUUD VAN NISTELROOY won’t stand in the way of Cody Gakpo if former club Manchester United make a suitable offer for his services.
The Red Devils tried to land the Netherlands superstar in the summer and are understood to be weighing up a January swoop for him.
And former United hitman Van Nistelrooy insists he won’t try to block the 23-year-old from moving to Old Trafford if the club’s asking price is met.
The PSV boss told Voetbal International: “It is wonderful how he has showcased himself.
“I enjoyed watching him [at the World Cup] and he deserves this because of how he has behaved, how he has continued to work and continued to perform.
“I was able to help him from very close by and that makes me proud. And then I’ll give him his path when it comes.”
Van Nistelrooy would prefer Gakpo leave next summer but is not against him departing the Phillips Stadion in January.
He continued: “If I have the choice, I prefer the summer, but it can also be now.
“You just know there comes a time when you can’t say no.”
PSV won’t part company with Gakpo on the cheap – demanding a fee in excess of their club record £39million sale of Hirving Lozano in the summer of 2019.
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Sporting Director Marcel Brands said earlier this week: “You have to be realistic.
“If you talk about Cody Gakpo and the price tag attached to him, there may be 10 to 12 clubs in Europe that can afford him.
“Amounts have not been discussed, but if the right club comes that Cody would like to go.
“Those agreements were already made before I came. It must be a record transfer for PSV anyway.
“Then you know in which direction it should go.”
He added: “In the media it seems like all the clubs are lining up, but the reality is that we don’t know anything about interest or anything yet.
“It’s quiet. I’ve spoken to Cody, he’s going on vacation for 10 days.
“If something is at play, it is perhaps known to Cody or his management, but not to us yet.”
Gakpo and his PSV team-mates will be back in league action on January 7, welcoming Sparta Rotterdam to the Phillips Stadion.
