Liverpool have completed the signing of Cody Gakpo in their first move of the January transfer window.

Netherlands forward Gakpo joins from PSV, where he had spent his entire career to date.

A move this season was long anticipated, and Gakpo’s performances at the World Cup, where he scored three goals for the Oranje, made a January switch an inevitability.

Manchester United were thought to be favourites for the versatile frontman but PSV announced on December 26 they had agreed a deal with Liverpool.

That transfer has now been completed, subject to a work permit, after Gakpo travelled to England for a medical.

The 23-year-old told the club’s website after his signing was confirmed: “I feel really good, I’m really excited to be here. I’m looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club.

“I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years.

“I think for me personally it’s also good to develop here and there’s a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from.”

Gakpo, who has reportedly cost Liverpool around £37million (€42m), scored nine goals and provided 12 assists in 14 Eredivisie matches this season.

The last player to contribute more goal involvements through 14 games in the Dutch top flight was ex-Liverpool superstar Luis Suarez, who had 25 for Ajax in 2009-10, the season before he joined the Reds.

Gakpo boosts a Liverpool attack missing both Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota due to injury, while he will ease the load on Darwin Nunez, who is enduring a mixed first season.