Liverpool are on the hunt for transfer reinforcements and reports suggest they could sign Bradley Barcola
Liverpool are reportedly pushing to sign Bradley Barcola.
Liverpool are reportedly pushing to sign Bradley Barcola.(Image: Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)
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Liverpool transfer target Bradley Barcola is open to holding talks over a move, according to reports. The Paris Saint-Germain starlet is in demands with the Reds reportedly in the driving seat to sign the 23-year-old.
The France international is among the list of Liverpool transfer targets after Yan Diomande opted against a move to Merseyside. Barcola featured on the list of alternatives with Said El Mala, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Yankuba Minteh among them.
Reports suggest that Barcola's move to Liverpool is a step closer with Andoni Iraola's side working on a deal to sign the attacker. Although, the Daily Mail has claimed that the 20-time English champions are seeking a compromise as the French giants value Barcola around £140million.
Here's what Liverpool ECHO writers have to say.
Connor O'Neill
News of Liverpool’s interest in Bradley Barcola is not surprising - but the transfer fee involved in any potential transfer is.
Barcola has talent, there is no doubt about that. But he is far from the finished article and that leads to the question of whether the Reds should pay £100m plus for a player who has potential.
Replacing Mohamed Salah is an impossible task for the club. Jurgen Klopp said it himself back in March.
But Barcola has the pace and ability to at least give it a go. Which is more than can be said for a lot of other players out there.
However, a fee of £140m to £145m is an astonishing valuation set by Paris Saint-Germain, and one that Liverpool surely won’t meet.
A deal for Barcola makes sense, but only if the Reds manage to strike a compromise with the current European champions.
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Stephen Killen
Replacing Mohamed Salah was never going to be easy, it is impossible to. But even before the Egyptian’s prompt departure, Liverpool needed reinforcements in wide areas to ease the impact of Luis Diaz’s exit.
Too much reliance was placed on Cody Gakpo and Salah which afforded Rio Ngumoha the chance to shine and ultimately, it wasn’t enough. But it is glaringly obvious that an injection of quality is needed.
After missing out on Yan Diomande, Bradley Barcola seems to be the next best option but the market is so bloated, the Reds find themselves facing another summer splurge.
Long gone are the days of bargain transfers and the shrewd Liverpool moves that saw them sign Sadio Mane for £34m but with Barcola’s best days ahead of him, this move is a no-brainer.
Aaron Morris
With Mohamed Salah all but guaranteed to leave Liverpool this summer and a patchy season from Cody Gakpo, it’s clear that Liverpool would be wise to invest in a proven winger for 2026/27.
Rio Ngumoha is still far too early into his career to be deployed week in, week out, and Federico Chiesa’s lack of regular playing time since his arrival in 2024 has prevented fans from seeing whether the Italian would make a suitable successor to Salah.
Following a Champions League-winning campaign with Paris Saint-Germain and an admirable World Cup run with France, there is no doubt that Bradley Barcola would thrive with the Reds.
The 23-year-old has all of the attributes that any world class winger should have - rapid both on and off the ball, trickery for days, a pinpoint cross and a thirst for goals and assists.
For that reason, FSG should prioritise a move for the PSG star this summer, should they hope to challenge domestically and in Europe.
Of course, any deal may rely on PSG dropping their £145m valuation of Barcola, considering Liverpool spent a staggering £450m on new arrivals last year.
And with improvements also needed to the heart of defence - following Ibrahima Konate’s departure as a free agent - Andoni Iraola will likely be demanding that the Reds save a piece of their transfer kitty for a new centre-half.
Matt Abbott
Three years after turning down a £150million offer for Mohamed Salah, it appears that Liverpool will have to spend around that amount to sign his replacement. Much like Bradley Barcola this summer, the Egyptian King was in the last two years of his contract at the time and showed no signs of renewing it, albeit he ultimately did so 18 months later.
The difference, though, is that the Paris Saint-Germain forward is a decade younger. Barcola has not yet hit the heights of Salah, but 13 goals and eight assists across all competitions last season is no bad return, especially on the back of 21 and 18 during the previous campaign.
At the same age, Salah was joining Roma on loan from Chelsea after scoring nine goals and assisting another four in a temporary spell at Fiorentina. It is easy to forget that it was not until he arrived at Anfield two years later that Salah became prolific in front of goal, aged 25.
The Reds have already made one seemingly shrewd signing this summer by exercising the £34.5million release clause in Victor Munoz's Osasuna contract. That is around as much as their initial outlay for Salah nine years ago, which goes to show the transfer fee inflation during that time.
What once got you a player on the back of two-and-a-half strong seasons is now the price of just a single good one. With that in mind, signing Barcola and Munoz for less than £175million could prove to be sensible business if both players live up to their potential.
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