Liverpool move ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in £100m transfer battle to sign the next Mo Salah after £65m dealplaceholder image
Liverpool move ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in £100m transfer battle to sign the next Mo Salah after £65m deal | Getty Images
Liverpool are in the market for a new winger after missing out on the signing of Antoine Semenyo
Liverpool watched one of their transfer targets move to a Premier League rival this week as Antoine Semenyo completed a £65m move to Manchester City.
The Bournemouth winger was available for £65m due to a release clause in his contract with a number of top-flight sides expressing an interest in him. Liverpool were among them but City made their move early in the window to get the player on board.
With that £65m deal done, the Reds need to turn their attention to other targets and one name who is said to be of interest is Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola.
Caught Offside report that Liverpool are ahead of both Arsenal and Chelsea in the battle to sign the star as they have a strong interest in the 23-year-old as they look to find their next Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian is out of contract in 2027 but has lost his place in the starting XI under Arne Slot and could be on the move before his deal expires. Liverpool are said to have done the ‘most work’ in a potential deal for Barcola and want to build around him as their new wide forward.
The arrival of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia last year and the upward trajectory that Desire Doue is on means that Barcola does not start as regularly as he would hope. He can operate on both the left and right wing which could hold a huge appeal to the Reds.
Cody Gakpo has struggled for form this campaign so a new left-wing option could seriously boost Slot’s options in the forward department. He is the only senior option, with 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha used infrequently by Slot this campaign.
Barcola could yet stay at PSG, however. Manager Luis Enrique is set to leave the French club at the end of the campaign and depending on who PSG bring in as their next manage, Barcola could be given a more frequent role moving forward.
A source told Caught Offside: “Barcola has struggled to play regularly under Luis Enrique, but he’ll be leaving in the summer, so a new manager could in theory give Barcola more of a key role.
“Liverpool’s interest is very strong, and if his situation doesn’t improve he’ll surely be open to the move, but the manager situation is one to watch.”
In other news, Salah will remain away from Liverpool for a little while yet after Egypt beat Ivory Coast 3-2 in the African Cup of Nations quarter final on Saturday. Salah scored his nation’s third and decisive goal.
They will face Senegal on Wednesday night with the third-place play-off to take place on Saturday with the final on Sunday, January 18.
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