Liverpool have confirmed the signing of PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo in a deal worth €50million (£44m).

It was revealed on Boxing Day that the two clubs had come to an agreement for Gakpo’s sale, before the forward put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League outfit, passing his medical without a hitch.

There had been interest from a number of English teams – with rivals Man United also scoping out a potential deal – but the Merseyside club emerged victorious in their chase for the 23-year-old after acting swiftly to secure the deal.

Gakpo told the Liverpool website: ‘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.’

He added: ‘I’m really looking forward to [playing at Anfield]. I heard a lot of great stories about the stadium, about the atmosphere. I cannot wait.

‘Obviously [my aim is] to win as many prizes as we can as a team, to perform well, to show the world what we can do as a team and what I can do as a player. And personally, just to keep developing and become a better player every season.

‘I’m really thankful that everybody is giving me such a warm welcome and I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody in the stadium and around the city.’

The forward has been in scintillating form for his domestic side this year and has already contributed nine goals and 12 assists from 14 Eredivisie matches this term.

Liverpool confirmed the move on Wednesday evening, with a statement reading: ‘The 23-year-old forward will officially become a Reds player at the start of the January transfer window after agreeing personal terms and successfully completing a medical at the AXA Training Centre.’

Asked about missing out on a transfer to the Premier League in the summer, Gakpo told Dutch newspaper outlet NRC: ‘That was a tough period. I learned from that.

‘What comes, that comes. Suppose you want to go from RKC (Waalwijk) to PSV, but that club is not coming. Then you can panic.

‘I thought about Manchester United, but when that didn’t happen, I couldn’t remember. And I started to doubt. Leeds United did come. Should I go there?’

‘Now I wait for everything. I haven’t heard from Manchester United yet. When they come, I’ll think about it. I also seek the help of God in these decisions.’

Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s dramatic departure from United, Gakpo had seemed to be a likely signing however the club opted against a move for the forward.