Today's Liverpool FC transfer round-up column brings you the latest with Liverpool set to sign Barcelona's captain on loan
Real Madrid forward Endrick has been linked with Liverpool with his path to the team blocked by new signing Yan Diomande
Real Madrid forward Endrick has been linked with Liverpool with his path to the team blocked by new signing Yan Diomande(Image: Real Madrid via Getty Images)
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The transfer market moves in mysterious ways, as Bono once said. One minute you're weighing up the pros and cons of Liverpool signing Ezri Konsa over Ousmane Diomande, the next you're reacting to the news that the Reds are instead pulling a move no-one expected and signing Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan.
The arrival of the out-of-favour Barcelona captain - who, as far as we know, has never been the subject of a song penned by the U2 frontman - hasn't been confirmed yet, but he's expected to sign on a season-long loan with an option to buy for €55m (£47.1m) after undergoing his medical on Sunday.
With or without Araujo, though, Andoni Iraola still hasn't found what he's looking for on the wing. Liverpool remain in talks for Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola, while interest in Barcola's 18-year-old teammate Ibrahim Mbaye emerged suddenly last week only to go a little quiet since.
You've got to celebrate the little wins, though. Liverpool have added the required depth at centre-back and - for now, at least - just the one new face with a questionable recent connection to a certain Middle-Eastern country which happens to be on the naughty list of a UN international commission of inquiry.
If you've still got the stomach for it, we've got updates on another potential option on the wing, a central midfield link who's now been the subject of a Premier League bid, and - of course - the latest on the increasingly-tiresome Barcola saga.
It's all in here, so join us as we round up all the latest gossip and rumours in the Liverpool transfer news column....
PSG shop, will they drop Barcola price?
Ferran Torres could be the latest player to join Paris Saint-Germain's star-studded attack as the Parisian club also return for Ajax's Mika Godts
Ferran Torres could be the latest player to join Paris Saint-Germain's star-studded attack as the Parisian club also return for Ajax's Mika Godts(Image: Getty Images)
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You know the drill by now. Liverpool want Bradley Barcola. Bradley Barcola, by all accounts, wants Liverpool. PSG only want committed players - but, more importantly, they want lots and lots of money.
How much, exactly, PSG want for Barcola is still a matter of debate, but the latest figure from L'Equipe (as we so kindly brought you in Friday's column) is €150m.
As reported then, Liverpool were said to be readying an offer of €115m. That's some distance away from the asking price, of course, and there's yet to be any confirmation of that bid actually being lodged.
It could well be that these negotiations continue to rumble on for some time before an official bid is placed, if Liverpool feel certain PSG won't accept their current valuation.
In the meantime, Luis Enrique's side are still looking to strengthen in attacking areas. After wrapping up the signing of Maghnes Akliouche last week, PSG's feeding frenzy looks set to continue with moves for Ajax winger Mika Godts and Barcelona's World Cup-winning goalscorer, Ferran Torres.
Two big updates emerged on those pursuits today (Aug 10). According to French journalist Sebastien Vidal, among those to reveal last week that Liverpool were interested in signing a defender, Les Rouge-et-Bleu are about to launch another offer for Godts after seeing an initial proposal rejected last week.
And the ever-ready Fabrizio Romano quickly followed that with a claim of a breakthrough in PSG's Torres chase. According to Romano, talks are now "at the final stages" to see the versatile forward join up with the double European champions, with personal terms already agreed.
Needless to say, the numbers don't quite fit here. If PSG can wrap up these two signings, that would leave their forward options as: Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue, Maghnes Akliouche, Ferran Torres, Mika Godts, Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye.
That's eight players for three positions. If only they could just move on, say, two of those players... maybe two who have previously expressed disgruntlement at their lack of playing time... any suggestions?
Barcola and Mbaye would cap off Liverpool's forward recruitment nicely, but as it stands, they'll need to free up foreign player slots to register both of them.
Mbaye could be registered as U-21 in domestic competitions without taking up a valuable slot in the 25-man squad, but that wouldn't be the case in European competition, where players need to have been at their club for two years to be registered as U-21 (List B).
That means non-homegrown player sales - but Liverpool aren't in a position to wait around for that to happen before getting a deal over the line for Barcola, with Arsenal still sore from their failed pursuit of Vinicius Junior.
According to TEAMtalk, the Gunners are "firmly involved in the conversation" for Barcola and have already reached out to the player's representatives to assess his interest in moving to London.
Arsenal's interest is known but if they are to make a move, much like Richard Hughes, Andrea Berta isn't likely to slam €150m down on the table without a fight.
With negotiations already underway between PSG and the Reds, it's probably fair to say Liverpool still have the upper hand. For now.
Monaco reject Palace bid for Camara
Andoni Iraola had a front-row seat to watch Lamine Camara in action when Monaco played against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday
Andoni Iraola had a front-row seat to watch Lamine Camara in action when Monaco played against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday(Image: Getty Images)
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Lamine Camara was one of the foremost names on the grapevine when Liverpool linked with a host of central midfielders around the end of last season, but the Reds have kept their powder dry in that department so far in the summer transfer window.
With the dreaded aforementioned squad limits to bear in mind, it looks increasingly unlikely that will change barring two or three departures in the next few weeks.
Whether or not Camara was being lined up before Liverpool decided their priorities lay in attack and defence is unclear, but the Reds could now be set to miss out on the 22-year-old Senegal international.
Nice Matin reported on Sunday (Aug 9) that Monaco had "already rejected" a bid - which "may have come from Crystal Palace" - for Camara, who played 64 minutes against Liverpool yesterday.
Monaco's No. 15 was quiet but tidy as his side came from behind to beat the Reds 3-2, completing 91% of his passes, winning two of his three ground duels and mopping up nicely with seven recoveries.
Footmercato claimed on Saturday (Aug 8) that Liverpool and Manchester United "remain in the hunt" for Camara, while Nottingham Forest are also said to be preparing a bid.
While the value of Palace's initial bid is unclear, Nice Matin report that Monaco will hold out for "more than €60 million [£51.3m]". At that price, Camara could still represent excellent value in a market where the comparable Elliot Anderson was sold for a nine-figure sum, and Monaco manager Filipe Luis knows it.
Speaking after the match, the former Chelsea left-back said: "I know that clubs have to make sales, which we have done. I hope we can keep him.
"He's probably one of the best midfielders in the world. I don't want to say too much, because I know that many clubs are interested in him."
Of course, one potential knock-on-effect of Palace signing Camara could be the Eagles relying a little less on Adam Wharton. But surely we're not going over that again... right?
Andoni Iraola has inherited Liverpool problem Arne Slot knew but couldn't solve
Liverpool "in talks with" Endrick
Endrick has been linked with a host of clubs, including Aston Villa - but could he provide valuable cover at Liverpool?
Endrick has been linked with a host of clubs, including Aston Villa - but could he provide valuable cover at Liverpool?(Image: Real Madrid via Getty Images)
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Before you get too excited - it's not looking hugely promising that this one gets off the ground. And though our friends over at TEAMtalk, the internet's busiest transfer rumour hub, might land a hit some of the time, their careful choice of words says plenty about how viable this transfer really is.
"In talks with" Endrick has a very different meaning to "in talks for". And when you dig into what their sources are really saying, this is actually a fairly run-of-the-mill transfer story.
Endrick, of course, is a hugely promising Brazilian attacker who joined Real Madrid from Palmeiras in 2024. Struggling for minutes at the Bernabeu, Endrick went out on loan to Lyon halfway through last season and bagged five goals and seven assists from 14 Ligue 1 starts.
Now back at square one with Yan Diomande signing and Vinicius staying put, another loan looks like the best outcome for Endrick again next season - and as such, Endrick's entourage "have opened talks with a number of clubs, including Liverpool."
This is all pretty normal stuff. Endrick needs a club to spend next season so his camp are gauging interest. Liverpool, who are looking for attackers and probably wouldn't mind one with a left foot who can play on the right or up front, seem like an obvious destination.
It's an intriguing rumour, but ultimately it's probably just the usual wheeling and dealing you'd expect from agents. Whether Liverpool want to bring in another temporary signing rather than getting a player in with whom they can build for the future is another matter as well.
Endrick, by all accounts, wants to earn his place in Madrid in the long run. But if Liverpool can't wrap up either the Barcola or Mbaye deal - or, god forbid, both - there could be an awful lot of sense in doing this deal, even if just for one season.
Other reports today
Liverpool have a "longstanding admiration" for Everton and Fulham target Hector Fort, according to TEAMtalk. Barcelona are claimed to be willing to let the 20-year-old right-back move on after spending the season out on loan at Elche, with the Blues and the Cottagers (hmm, maybe we should just stick with 'Fulham') both interested in a permanent move. As the report points out, though, Liverpool have just agreed a loan deal for Araujo and are unlikely to be in the mix for another defender, especially one who isn't homegrown.
Coventry, Newcastle and Liverpool are all claimed to have "come knocking" for AC Milan's Fikayo Tomori (Quotidiano Sportivo). They don't expand any more on the rumour other than to describe the former Chelsea man as "the main suspect in packing his bags", a quite brilliant choice of words. At least he's homegrown but - again - we're about to sign Araujo. Next!
Personal terms have now been agreed between Manchester City and Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to Fabrizio Romano on X (Twitter), with the next step for Enzo Maresca's side being to "seal the deal with Lille". Bouaddi is being lined up as City contemplate the idea of letting their World Cup and Ballon d'Or-winning midfield general, Rodri, leave for Barcelona, which would be a massive boost to City's Premier League rivals. Bouaddi showed his class at the World Cup and Liverpool were widely reported to be interested, but €70-80m is a colossal fee for a player as young as the Moroccan.
Nonsense of the day
Alexis Mac Allister has been the subject of much speculation after a difficult season at Liverpool, but this link feels like a clear non-starter
Alexis Mac Allister has been the subject of much speculation after a difficult season at Liverpool, but this link feels like a clear non-starter(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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For all of Bouaddi's obvious qualities, experience is one of the qualities the 18-year-old will not be able to replace if Rodri is to depart. With that in mind, it makes sense that The Independent's Miguel Delaney has claimed that City "are exploring a move for Enzo Fernandez".
Fernandez is only 25 but has already made 333 appearances for club and country, only one of which included him getting sent off after absolutely wellying someone while already on a yellow card in a World Cup final.
Okay, so: Argentine Premier League midfielder? Check. Plenty of experience? Check. Bit of a nasty streak? Check check check. Sound like anyone else you know?
If your name is Matt Thielen, that might sound a lot like Alexis Mac Allister.
Far be it from the transfer round-up column to question the credentials of Thielen, whose multi-platform outlet LFC Transfer Room does an excellent job of compiling just the sort of tittle-tattle that usually ends up in this disused corner of the Liverpool ECHO website, but this is not an account that is usually in the business of breaking exclusive scoops.
Arguably, that might just make this rumour a bit more convincing, but this seems like a highly unlikely transfer. Andoni Iraola has stressed just how much he wants to keep Mac Allister and, with that in mind, it's almost unthinkable Liverpool would sanction his sale to a direct rival.
No hard feelings, Matt, but we were a little light on nonsense today. And as fellow X (Twitter) user Andy Taylor (@andy_tay1) put it: "Heard some nonsense in my time, but this one is right up there with the best".
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