Liverpool are set to place their opening bid to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, but they have already identified their 'dream' alternative if they fail to land the Frenchman.
Liverpool are ramping up their attempts to land their Mohamed Salah replacement, after manager Andoni Iraola recently made it clear that they have to sign another winger in this window.
The Reds may have brought in Victor Munoz, but they are still yet to land the high-profile heir to Salah they crave, having already missed out on another top target in RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande.
The Merseyside outfit have now started to work on a deal to bring Barcola to Anfield, with an exit opening up after it was reported that the 23-year-old won't be extending his contract that expires in the summer of 2028.
Liverpool already look to have the buy-in of the France international, who has agreed to join the club after speaking to Iraola and club executives according to L'Equipe, but the difficulty will come in trying to agree a fee with Paris Saint-Germain.
The Champions League holders are said to be looking for €170m for the attacker, having seen some of the prices for another attacking players this summer.
Liverpool Identify Rayan as 'Dream' Barcola Alternative
Rayan
According to talkSPORT, Liverpool have identified Bournemouth winger Rayan as a 'dream' alternative to Barcola, if they fail to agree a deal with PSG for the France international.
The Reds currently view Barcola's price tag as being too high given he only has two years remaining on his deal at the Parc des Princes, and they may feel they can get better value elsewhere, with Koln's Said El Mala, Lille's Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Brighton and Hove Albion's Yankuba Minteh named as potential targets.
However, it is Rayan who they really like, with the Brazilian teenager's £85m release clause coming into effect in 2027.
The 19-year-old only joined the Cherries in January of this year, but he quickly made a big impact with five goals and two assists in 15 Premier League outings for the south coast outfit, and has been labelled as a 'world-class talent' by teammate Marcus Tavernier.
Liverpool Ready to Offer £80m for Barcola
Bradley Barcolavia Reuters
According to the same report, Liverpool's initial valuation of Barcola is around £80m, as they get ready to launch their first bid for the Frenchman.
While PSG point to the price tags of the likes of Elliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers this summer for their £145m valuation, the Merseyside outfit will point to the fact that the attacker only has two years remaining on his contract and won't be signing a new one.
TalkSPORT also claim that even though there are suggestions that the 23-year-old may have already agreed terms with Liverpool, those reports are premature with only preliminary discussions taking place so far.
While Liverpool view Barcola as the ideal signing as things stand, they have no plans to overpay for him in what is an inflated market.
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