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Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah departed the club at the end of last season, and after his exit, the Reds have a massive gap to fill in their squad as the Egyptian was one of their greatest ever players and a key contributor in the final third over the years.
Andoni Iraola has not brought in anybody as his replacement so far and although RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande was believed to be close to a move to Anfield, Paris Saint-Germain are on the verge of scuppering the English side’s deal for the Ivorian youngster.
FourFourTwo has reported that Liverpool have consequently identified Paris Saint-Germain star Bradley Barcola as their top target for the summer transfer window, with the Frenchman believed to be prepared to leave the Ligue 1 outfit.
PSG are expected to seek £100 million for the 23-year-old, who has been a standout player at the World Cup with France too. Having scored 13 goals and assisted seven times last season, Arsenal are also keen on signing Barcola to bolster their offence.
Barcola an exciting addition for Liverpool
Bradley Barcola has produced exceptional numbers for Paris Saint-Germain despite being second fiddle to Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele for the last couple of seasons, and would be a terrific buy for Liverpool.
He is a strong dribbler, capable of taking on multiple defenders in one go in the final third, whereas his pressing makes him key without the ball as well. Barcola’s finishing is fantastic as well, as are his runs in behind defenders to get into dangerous positions.
While not a like-for-like replacement for Mohamed Salah, Barcola can play on both flanks and in a central role, so Andoni Iraola will surely find a way to fit a player of his calibre and potential into the squad to good effect.
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal are prepared to compete with Liverpool over his signing or whether Morgan Rogers is their priority, but financially, the Reds might be better-placed to match Paris Saint-Germain’s and Barcola’s demands.