Virgil van Dijk has urged Liverpool to keep Cody Gakpo at the club despite the winger wanting a move to Manchester City.City have submitted an opening offer for Gakpo, but the Reds are reluctant to sell him unless they recruit a replacement.Van Dijk would prefer to see Gakpo remainAFPTottenham Hotspur were also interested in the versatile forward, but he has chosen the Etihad.Should Gakpo depart, Liverpool may not miss him too much as they have a deal in place for Bradley Barcola to join from Paris Saint-Germain, although the club would ideally like another wide attacker even if the Dutchman departs.The 27-year-old has enjoyed a good start to the Premier League campaign as well.He scored in the 2-2 draw against Newcastle United before setting up Alexander Isak in the other 2-2 draw versus Nottingham Forest.And speaking about Gakpo, Van Dijk was asked if he’d like Gakpo to stay.“What do you think,” Van Dijk responded.“He’s a quality player. I think we should keep quality players.“Let’s see what the next few days bring. “I want him to stay not only because he’s a quality player but also because he’s a friend of mine. He’s very important for us.”Gakpo’s futureLiverpool have officially not been open to selling Gakpo all summer.Gakpo is playing a big part in Liverpool’s season so farGettyHowever, with Barcola on the way and a potential other winger as well, that stance is likely to change.Spurs had thought they could sign the forward, but he has chosen City.Enzo Maresca‘s side have put in an offer for Gakpo, with Liverpool hoping to secure around £85million.talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs provided the latest on Gakpo.He said: “Manchester City in the last few days have gone really big on Cody Gakpo. It’s taken the player a little bit by surprise because for much of the summer, it was Tottenham and Cody Gakpo. He’d spoken to Roberto De Zerbi.“But our information is that Cody Gakpo favours Manchester City.Maresca is looking to add some extra firepowerGetty“As a consequence, this is expected to develop. I actually think that Tottenham now realise they can’t do that deal. Do they turn to Iliman Ndiaye as a result?“Bradley Barcola comes in, as we exclusively revealed this morning, for £106m with £17m in add-ons. “It may come down to the player realising even if they don’t add now another attacker, Victor Munoz has come in and Rio Ngumoha needs a pathway.“Gakpo maybe in previous seasons could have looked out wide, looked in the centre. But now up front, it’s Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. Behind them, it’s Florian Wirtz.“So I think he seems to believe that even if it’s not now, it might be the beginning of the end.“This was kind of what Luis Diaz thought when Liverpool wanted to keep the player, but eventually they sold him to Bayern Munich.Iraola has already used Gakpo to great effect to start the seasonGetty“Cody Gakpo has got a big decision to make. From Liverpool’s perspective, if they were to sell, they know they’re bringing in more money. “It might mean that they can overpay for an Ismaïla Sarr or a Yankuba Minteh. Then two attackers will come in as well.”Barcola incomingLiverpool are set to pay an initial £106million, which could rise to £123m with add-ons for Barcola.The French international has wanted the move to Anfield all summer, and before the close of the transfer window, he will sign for the Reds.And Van Dijk is already rubbing his hands at the prospect of having Barcola as a teammate rather than a rival.“He’s a good player, someone with pace, I remember a goal he scored against Chelsea [in the Champions League last season],” Van Dijk said.Barcola appears destined to join the Reds before the window shutsGetty “If he comes here then he will be welcomed with open arms.“I don’t think there’s any doubt that a club like Liverpool is very attractive to very good players. This is one of the biggest clubs in the world. “We all know that we’re going through a little bit of a transition. You either want to be a part of it or you don’t.“Adding quality to the squad always makes a difference. Let’s see what the next few days bring. After Tuesday, we have to fight for everything with no regrets.”