Liverpool have reportedly made their first official move on the Bradley Barcola file, tabling an opening bid well below PSG’s reported £140m asking price as they test the Parisians’ resolve.
The Reds have been patiently waiting for their moment to strike, with the delay frustrating fans and testing their patience, but with a groundswell of reports emerging in the last week, it’s been clear for days now that a breakthrough is coming.
TEAMtalk now report that this moment has come with the Reds tabling an opening bid worth £104m (€121m) for Barcola, which, in my opinion, will be swiftly rejected given PSG have started their negotiations demanding €170m (£145m).
Reporting for TT, James Marshment reports: “Liverpool are ready to press home their desire to sign Bradley Barcola after reaching an agreement with the player over a lucrative long-term contract at Anfield – and now it’s reported that a very sizeable opening bid to PSG has also been launched.
“The Merseyside giants have locked on to Barcola as their primary summer transfer target, having missed out on a deal for Yan Diomande, who is now poised to join Real Madrid. However, prising the player out of Paris will be no easy feat. The European champions, having witnessed the huge fees being spent on the likes of Elliot Anderson (£116m to Man City) and Morgan Rogers (£117m to Chelsea), are determined to secure an even bigger fee for their man, with multiple reports over the weekend claiming Barcola would cost a whopping £145m (€170m, $193m).
“Now, Liverpool have launched a huge opening bid for his services, with the Reds’ opening offer worth €105m (£90m, $120m) guaranteed, with a further €15m in easily-achievable add-ons, taking the total package to €120m (£103m, $137m).”
Liverpool will return if PSG reject their bid – opinion
This is, in all likelihood, an opening offer. There is rarely a moment when a club makes such a major initial bid where they don’t return with a second offer at least.
If I were to guess, this is a deal that gets done closer to the £120m mark which would be a third Premier League transfer record in a year for the Reds after they paid £116m and £125m for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak last summer.
Barcola is an essential signing for Liverpool if they hope to bounce back under Andoni Iraola.
Not only do Liverpool need a top winger to replace Mohamed Salah, but they also need to ensure their new Spanish head coach has the tools to succeed at Anfield in the short and long term.
There isn’t a winger available in 2026 that is more perfect for what Iraola is seeking to achieve.
Michael first started supporting Liverpool after Istanbul in 2006. He has since followed the Reds with passion and curiosity, founding Rousing the Kop, Anfield Central while briefly co-owning Anfield Watch. Michael lives in Cape Town, South Africa.