Today's Liverpool FC transfer round-up column sees one European powerhouse back away from Liverpool's top target as fresh potential options are identified
Fikayo Tomori's looming contract expiry means he could be available for a cut-price fee this summer
Fikayo Tomori's looming contract expiry means he could be available for a cut-price fee this summer(Image: AC Milan via Getty Images)
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Another day, another Liverpool transfer rumour. The mill never stops 'churning' as we lumber on towards the cold, hard embrace of September 1, when the summer window will slam shut without a shred of sentimentality.
But these, my friends, these are the glory days - the summer months when it feels like anything can happen. Enjoy the uncertainty - it's the closest we'll ever come to experiencing the innocence of childhood once again.
Well, that might be going a bit far, admittedly, but if you didn't love a good transfer rumour, why would you be here? And lucky for you, there are some new names making an appearance in the transfer news column today - just to keep things fresh.
One of them is even a defender.
And, of course, the main event: Liverpool are still preparing an offer for Bradley Barcola, and seemingly unrelated events elsewhere could just be setting up the dominoes to fall in the Reds' direction.
As ever, it's all in here, so join us as we round up the latest gossip and rumours in the Reds' transfer news column....
Barcola chain reaction?
Exactly what Liverpool 'preparing' to submit a bid for Bradley Barcola really means isn't entirely clear. Is Richard Hughes passing a collection bucket around FSG's Boston offices as we speak? Or is the delay just for dramatic effect?
This is only speculation, but there could be an element of brinksmanship to this. Obviously, Liverpool need to make their move soon to avoid giving the player cold feet, but there are gears in motion elsewhere in the market that could go a long way to deciding just how many digits get written on that particular cheque.
One of those moving parts has now clicked into place, as PSG have agreed a deal for Maghnes Akliouche. Yesterday, we brought you the update that the Parisians had reached a breakthrough in their pursuit of the Monaco wide- man, and today that deal has been confirmed by the ever-reliable Ben Jacobs on X (Twitter).
Other deals elsewhere could help to get Liverpool's plan to sign Bradley Barcola going
Other deals elsewhere could help to get Liverpool's plan to sign Bradley Barcola going (Image: AP)
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PSG, according to Jacobs, "were always confident of finalising the move despite Liverpool links", with the Reds having made a tentative enquiry earlier in the summer as they explored their options for the wings.
This is nothing but a positive from a Liverpool perspective, though. PSG securing Akliouche means they're in a better position to let Barcola go from a pure squad depth perspective, but there's another detail to this signing that should put a smirk on Liverpool fans' faces.
PSG are signing Akliouche - medical pending, of course - for the small fee of €50m. Now, that is probably more than you'll earn in your entire life (sorry) but it's a mere drop in the ocean compared to what Les Rouge-et-Bleu are asking the Reds to cough up for Barcola.
Farrell Keeling put it brilliantly for Empire of the Kop. "Cite Elliot Anderson (£116m) and Morgan Rogers (£117m) if you wish, chaps," Keeling wrote. "Liverpool have every right to cite the £42.7m deal PSG have just sealed for Maghnes Akliouche."
Arguing that the player Liverpool want to sign from them is worth three times as much as the player they're replacing him with isn't exactly the best look for PSG when you think about it.
And if you take the view that state ownership of football clubs is pretty much exclusively an exercise in optics, that could yet work in Liverpool's favour.
Bradley Barcola
Liverpool's interest in Bradley Barcola remains strong(Image: Sarah Stier - FIFA via Getty Images)
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Moving south across the Pyrenees to Spain, another eyebrow-raising development could yet play into Liverpool's hands here. According to Marca, Real Madrid have issued Vinicius Junior a "take it or leave it contract" and "will open the door to a sale this summer" if he doesn't renew.
Just a week ago, this story was being kept well under wraps, but since then, it emerged that Vinicius leaving Real Madrid this summer with just a year left on his deal was a very real possibility.
Liverpool were then briefly linked with the Brazilian but it soon became clear that he was not viewed as a serious opportunity by the Reds hierarchy - with Arsenal instead being revealed as genuine suitors if a new contract was not agreed.
Since then, we'd all been led to believe Madrid were confident of getting a deal done and Arsenal could even be ruing their decision to give Liverpool a head-start on Barcola.
But now, Madrid's resolve "not to break the wage structure in the dressing room" could give the Gunners the opportunity they're waiting for, and leave the Reds with a free run at Barcola.
Vinicius Junior of Brazil celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 1-1 with Bruno Guimaraes of Brazil during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match between Brazil and Morocco at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 13, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Vinicius Jr and Bruno Guimaraes continue to be linked with Arsenal(Image: Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
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The field has been cleared further by Bayern Munich making it patently clear they won't be making a move for the 23-year-old. Yesterday, Max Eberl - Bayern's sporting director - announced firmly that Bayern "have finished" for new signings this summer, while Christian Falk, writing today (July 31) in his regular column, CF Bayern Insider, specifically addressed the Barcola rumours.
According to Falk, Barcola is "on the shortlist" for the Bavarian side, who even made checks on his availability earlier on in the summer, but is "too expensive" and an unfeasible target in the current window.
Falk acknowledged that Bayern "could use a player like this in the future" whereas Liverpool need Barcola now. He does, however, remain "the number one option to replace Michael Olise" if the former Crystal Palace star leaves next summer - so that's plenty of incentive for the Reds to get a deal done in the next month.
Whether Liverpool need to sell players to commit a fee of that size remains to be seen. The Reds haven't exactly been raking in the cash from departures this summer, but one player whose future has remained ambiguous is Cody Gakpo.
Fabrizio Romano has reiterated throughout the summer that clubs are interested in Gakpo if Liverpool decide to do business, and the club mentioned most often of all has been Tottenham.
Intriguingly, Roberto De Zerbi yesterday (July 30) announced Spurs were working on a mystery "bomba", believed to be an attacking player who isn'tManchester City's Savinho - another player known to be a Spurs target.
The Athletic have had a go at figuring out who that could be, and one real explosive idea suggested is that that player could, in fact, be Barcola.
There is a chance, though, that it could be Gakpo. We're knee-deep in speculation here - that's rather the point - but perhaps that could help explain why it feels like we're just waiting for all the cogs to line up before Liverpool really strike hard for Barcola.
"Exploratory contact" from Liverpool for Tomori
Another report out of Italy today surprisingly linked Liverpool with former Chelsea defender, Fikayo Tomori. The Milan No. 23 (the other half of Milan, that is) was previously reported to be "certainly on the way out" this summer (Calciomercato), with Coventry and "other English clubs" supposedly interested in a cut-price €15-20m (£12.8-17.1m) deal.
Today, Tuttojuve - a strange outlet to break the story, granted, given Tomori definitely plays for Milan and not Juventus - have claimed the Reds "have already initiated initial exploratory contact with AC Milan to determine the feasibility" of a move for Tomori, whose contract expires next year.
In a familiar theme, Milan are said to be open to selling Tomori if he doesn't renew his contract, and Liverpool are said to be "evaluating costs and room for manoeuvre before deciding whether to submit an official offer".
A claim from Italy has suggested Liverpool could make a bargain move for Milan defender Fikayo Tomori
A claim from Italy has suggested Liverpool could make a bargain move for Milan defender Fikayo Tomori(Image: Getty Images)
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The deal, such that it is claimed to be, is said to be in the early stages, but "the English centre-back's name has definitely been included in the list of possible reinforcements" for a position that is claimed to be "one of [Liverpool's] main objectives".
That does raise a bit of a red flag, as pretty much every other report on the Reds as of late has continued to state that signing another winger is Liverpool's priority and everything else is further down the list.
Sky Sports have even reported that the injury to Joe Gomez, which is expected to see him miss the start of the season, "will not affect Liverpool's transfer plans".
That's a sentence that is sure to send shivers down the spine of any Liverpool fan.
Tomori's potential availability is intriguing, though. While he might not be the highest calibre of defender, Tomori has Premier League experience and could be registered as a homegrown player.
There aren't many others who fall into that category who would be available for such a doable fee for Liverpool.
Other reports today
Two more wingers could now be available if Liverpool are looking for further reinforcements or a cheaper alternative to Bradley Barcola. Francisco Conceicao, the subject of a circuitous transfer rumour that made yesterday's nonsense section, could actually be sold by Juventus this summer to ensure the Old Lady's compliance with UEFA's squad cost ratio rules (La Gazzetta dello Sport). According to Gazzetta, Liverpool and Manchester United have made "enquiries". Fabrizio Romano also announced today on X (Twitter) that Real Madrid winger Franco Mastantuono has been made available for loan, with Madrid preferring him to stay within Europe. He's got a left foot!
Oakley Cannonier, the former ball-boy of 'corner taken quickly' fame, left Liverpool's academy this summer and, now 22, has signed for Singapore side Hougang United. He was 15 at the time Trent took that corner. God, I feel old.
And Arne Slot will not be going to Saudi Arabia - at least not to manage Al Ahli, or any other team. Come to think of it, it's hard to come up with too many other reasons why he would go to Saudi Arabia. Paul Gorst has the full story.
Nonsense of the day
20-year-old Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong could be a good versatile option for Liverpool - but rumours of interest in him from the Reds are baseless
20-year-old Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong could be a good versatile option for Liverpool - but rumours of interest in him from the Reds are baseless(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
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Last week, I wrote a speculative piece listing 10 versatile defenders Liverpool could realistically target to solve their problem at right-back and centre-back. It was rather good, if I do say so myself.
So good, it appears, that it spawned a transfer rumour. Over the weekend, TEAMtalk cited my article to claim that Chelsea's Josh Acheampong is "thought to be on [Liverpool's] shortlist alongside Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nnamdi Collins and Lutsharel Geertruida of RB Leipzig."
It didn't stop there, either. Anfield Index picked the story up, so I guess I've now created a nonsense transfer rumour all of my own. Just to be clear, I never suggested Acheampong's inclusion, or that of any other player in that article, was a genuine target for Liverpool.
But who knows? According to Sky Sports, Xabi Alonso only wants "four or five" centre-backs at Chelsea. He currently has 10. Maybe there's a chance Liverpool could test the waters after all! (Yes, this is still speculation.)
The rumour becoming reality would be as nonsensical as it gets.