Liverpool will very much try and position themselves front and centre in the race to sign Bradley Barcola this summer after their chances of pulling off a deal were rated by a well-informed journalist and with TEAMtalk sources revealing PSG’s not-so-secret stance on his exit.
The Reds are seeking a successor to Mohamed Salah in attack after the Egyptian superstar departed Anfield at the end of last season following a hugely successful nine-year spell.
But while Liverpool may have missed out on their top target Yan Diomande, who instead prefers to join Paris Saint-Germain, the Ivorian’s decision could at least help the Merseysiders land another elite wing option in Barcola, after we revealed earlier this summer has already expressed concerns over his dwindling minutes with the European champions.
Indeed, work behind the scenes on his potential exit from the Parc des Princes this summer has been going on for several weeks.
Already behind the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue in the pecking order, the impending arrival of Maghnes Akliouche and potentially too Diomande could effectively leave the 23-year-old Barcola with little choice but to move on.
Given their long-standing admiration for the player, Liverpool are ready to go all out to bring the 28-cap France star to Anfield, and confirming that vision, journalist David Lynch has provided an update on their chances.
“Quick update on Bradley Barcola and where we’re up to with that one,” Lynch told his YouTube channel.
“I’ve had Liverpool sources effectively confirm to me this week they absolutely love him as a player. There’s no doubt about that. They are one of many clubs who really, really like him.
“Their admiration has been long-standing, and they really do continue to admire him coming into this window.”
READ MORE: Man Utd personally invited to hijack Liverpool’s Barcola deal as lowly PSG starting price emerges
PSG ready to sell Barcola with Liverpool fully in the race
Revealing the four factors that will determine Liverpool’s chances of securing a deal, Lynch says much will depend on the type of money the Reds are prepared to invest versus those of their rivals.
“It’s more about now in terms of him potentially signing for Liverpool down to kind of the numbers around that deal, what’s being demanded and the feasibility of it.
“Of course, then whether he chooses Liverpool versus other suitors that he might have, what kind of contract offers he’s getting as well,” Lynch explained.
The journalist, a specialist in all things Liverpool FC, is adamant the 2025 Premier League champions are in that conversation, adding: “It’s not about whether they like the player or not. I think you can pretty much nail that down now that Liverpool really do admire Bradley Barcola and would like to sign him if the opportunity presents itself.”
Despite publicly declaring Barcola is not for sale, TEAMtalk understands that privately the club are very much prepared to cash in.
His deal in the French capital expires in two years, and we revealed back in June how the player has already put a freeze on renewal talks – a decision which will likely back Luis Enrique’s side into a corner, knowing that this summer represents their best chance to sell.
Furthermore, we can reveal that intermediaries involved in the process have now communicated the financial demands to interested clubs.
Sources close to the situation indicate that PSG are actively looking to offload players to help comply with financial regulations, and Barcola has made it clear he wishes to leave the French capital in search of regular first-team football.
Liverpool, though, are far from the only side in the mix for his signature, and it’s reported that those intermediaries have made contact with Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Barcelona to all offer them a potential deal.
For PSG, they spy an opportunity to make a serious profit on the player, and we revealed on July 9 that they will demand a whopping €150m (£127.5m, $171m) for his sale this summer.
Then, on 14 July, we exclusively revealed that Liverpool had already held fresh talks over the player and were buoyed by his stance, giving FSG serious hope they could pull off another huge deal for a player that Andoni Iraola loves.
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