City made an £80m offer for Gakpo late in the 2026 summer window and Liverpool had initially decided they were prepared to sell as manager Andoni Iraola aimed to reshape his attack after the departure of Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool pursued Yankuba Minteh and Ismaïla Sarr but landed Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola instead, whilst Gakpo remained at the club after the move to City collapsed.
Just one month before the City rumours, Gakpo and his partner Noa van der Bij announced that their unborn son, Elijah Raphael, had died during pregnancy in what was heartbreaking news.
Gakpo, speaking to The Telegraph, revealed that it was an incredibly tough summer for not only him but his family as well.
"I don't know if you want to go into detail about that, but there's no point in talking about it. It was a difficult summer for me, my family and everything to do with football and life. So yeah, I just let it happen, and it ended the way it ended.
"It's a very long story. The summer was very tough, on all fronts. I just let it all sink in and saw how it would go, and it went this way. Now it is what it is. I just want to enjoy my life with my family and friends. And from playing football with my teammates here and at the club.
"When you play for a big club like Liverpool, you have to perform. I don't want to talk about others or other players, but I know I could have done much better myself than last year.
"I don't know if the criticism was unfair. Maybe it was, but in a way I understand it. At Liverpool you have to win, perform and show that you are one of the best clubs in the world. We didn't do that last year, including myself. That's just the way it goes."
The Dutchman has 3 goals and 1 assists for the Reds this season and has fought hard for his spot following a stressful summer. Liverpool return after the break to face City, where Gakpo will seek to make his mark once more.