Liverpool wanted to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig before he decided on a move to PSG instead, with Bradley Barcola having been put forward as an alternative signing
08:47, 09 Jul 2026
Yan Diomande in World Cup action for the Ivory Coast.
Yan Diomande in World Cup action for the Ivory Coast.(Image: Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Danny Murphy believes Liverpool would be better off signing Bradley Barcola than Yan Diomande, if the Reds can bring in the French forward from PSG.
Barcola has been put forward as one potential alternative to Ivory Coast star Diomande, who is widely reported to have decided on a move to Paris rather than the Premier League if RB Leipzig sells him this summer.
But while many Reds fans were disappointed at the news breaking, with Liverpool having been prepared to spend big on Diomande, Murphy thinks it could actually work out for the best for Andoni Iraola's side in the long run.
"I don’t think they should have been looking at Diomande for the money they were talking about anyway," Murphy told BetWright. "He is a super talent, but that’s all he is: a talent. He’s a prospect.
"Paying over the odds for a player based on potential, I’m not sure over £100M for a player who hasn’t got a body of work that justifies that money was the right way to go. In a way, it might be a blessing.
"Barcola would be less expensive and obviously maybe surplus to requirements with the signings PSG are making. We’ve seen in the Champions League for the last couple of years now the impact he can have on games, so it’s a less risky signing."
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 4: Bradley Barcola of France looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 16 match between Paraguay and France at Philadelphia Stadium on July 4, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Bradley Barcola has been linked with a move to Liverpool this summer(Image: Getty Images)
Barcola is currently at the World Cup with France. He has already said that his focus is on that tournament for now, but once it is over, his future could be resolved one way or another.
"Should he move to the Premier League? Not yet. Not yet at all," the former France defender Marcel Desailly said this week.
"Sorry, Arsenal and Liverpool fans. He should stay at Paris Saint-Germain, play 25 games a season, and grow within that system.
"Barcola doesn't need to leave PSG. He's too young. He's only 23-years-old. Didier Deschamps is teaching him a lesson, and he's giving him a chance."
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"I never expected Didier to swap him with Desire Doue. He has really given him a chance — and he's been rewarded for it.
"I thought that for Barcola to start and play 90 minutes at the international level, he wouldn't do it because Barcola is too light on defensive discipline.
"Remember, we play with four offensive players, and bringing Barcola into the system could have been another weakness because he doesn't make the effort to defend.
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"When you look at his previous matches with PSG, or even some of the matches he did for the national team during the Euros, he had that weakness."