Soccer-Gakpo says Dutch skipper Van Dijk persuaded him to join Liverpool

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group A - Netherlands v Qatar - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar - November 29, 2022 Netherlands' Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo

(Reuters) - Dutch forward Cody Gakpo said he was persuaded to join Liverpool by Netherlands skipper Virgil van Dijk, who also plays at the Premier League club.

Gakpo, who scored three goals at the World Cup before the Dutch went out in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Argentina, joined Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday for a reported initial fee of 37 million pounds ($44.56 million).