The club have reportedly been forced to sell, as the threat of financial instability looms over their heads.
PSV legend and former club manager John de Jong reportedly suspended the sale of Gakpo in the summer for sporting reasons. The club is now forced into a sale due to financial viability.
PSV’s domestic economy
De Telegraaf probed the sale of Gakpo, and reported that it is due to PSV’s financial instability in recent years.
His wage bill became relatively high, as did transfer fee write-offs.
The total, which comes to around €30m, including their annual operating cost, which is around €10m, meant they needed to bring in around €40m each season to stay in the green.
This could have been achieved without sales if they had made it to the Champions League, but missing out meant they had to do it via transfers.
The club has now been forced to carry out the sale of its star in the middle of the season, sacrificing sporting viability for economic stability.
The club made the reverse decision in the summer and led to the departure of technical director John de Jong.
“I really wanted to keep him, but I also knew we had to let him go in certain amounts,” John de Jong told Eindhovens Dagblad and Football International.
John de Jong opted for sporting success by delaying the transfer of Cody Gakpo.
When Manchester United inquired about Gakpo in the summer, John de Jong preferred Gakpo to play first in the Champions League qualifying play-offs.
“We indicated what we wanted and also that we still needed Cody in the home game against Rangers. That was possible,” said John de Jong.
“Then we lost at home to Rangers (in the Champions League preliminary round). And United did not go for Gakpo, but for Antony.
“I think that’s where the excitement of the supervisory board lies.”
PSV’s supervisory board believed that John de Jong’s decision was costing them money that they could have made by selling Gakpo to Manchester United, as they also missed out on Champions League qualification.
PSV had another chance to sell, as Southampton and Leeds tried to sign Gakpo.
John de Jong: “Southampton wanted to pay 32 million euros for Cody, with a series of bonuses that were difficult to realize.
“We had a good substantive discussion with each other and everyone had their say.
“That we had to go for the sporting ambition of the club. I thought and I believe that PSV have a very good team with which we have a good chance of winning the title.
“With Cody there, that possibility is much greater.
“In the end, management thought the same thing as me.
“But Ton van Veen, the financier of the supervisory board, in particular, insisted on a sale.
Now he wanted the financial security of a plus in the current financial year. In my opinion, I did not want to be responsible for any red figures”.
No sale occurred that summer, and John de Jong won a vote of no confidence from the board which led to his stepping down in mid-September.
