Liverpool’s pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola has gathered momentum in recent weeks, with the Reds continuing negotiations over a potential move to Anfield.
The 23-year-old has emerged as one of Liverpool’s leading attacking targets, with the club’s interest dating back several months.
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There has also been a significant development in the negotiations.
DaveOCKOP reported exclusively on August 7 that Liverpool had agreed a deal in principle with PSG for Barcola, although the report stressed that nothing had been signed or completed and that the two clubs still needed to finalise the transfer.
According to that report, the proposed fee was in the region of €128 million, with more achievable add-ons than those previously discussed.
Away from the transfer negotiations, Barcola’s connection with Liverpool goes back much further.
The Redmen TV spoke to former Lyon academy coach Amaury Barlet, who spent 15 years working within the club’s academy and had a close view of the generation that included Barcola, Rayan Cherki and Malo Gusto.
Barlet revealed that Liverpool were already on Barcola’s radar during his formative years at Lyon.
“He is still a very young player and has a huge amount of room for improvement,” Barlet said. “When he was younger, he followed Liverpool FC a lot. That club was always somewhere in the back of his mind.”
The comments provide the clearest indication yet of Barcola’s longstanding affinity with Liverpool and help explain why a move to Anfield could carry particular significance for the winger.
Barlet was not simply describing a player who had developed an interest in the club during the current transfer saga, but one who followed Liverpool while still progressing through Lyon’s youth system.
Barlet also provided an insight into the qualities he identified in Barcola as a young player.
He recalled first working with him when Barcola was playing with Lyon’s Under-11s, describing him as a striker with a natural instinct for goal and the ability to score from different situations.
The former Lyon coach highlighted Barcola’s acceleration, direct running and ability to attack space behind defensive lines. He also noted that the youngster was capable of beating several defenders through his first touch, pace and dribbling, while developing the versatility to operate in different attacking positions.
Barcola joined Lyon’s academy at eight years old after beginning his football journey with AS Buers. He progressed through the academy before signing his first professional contract with Lyon in September 2021 and making his senior debut later that year.
His breakthrough came during the 2022-23 season, when he made 31 appearances for Lyon, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists.
Those performances earned him a nomination for the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award before PSG moved to sign him in August 2023.
Since moving to Paris, Barcola has developed into a France international and won major honours with PSG.
The Liverpool interest has therefore developed around a player who has progressed from Lyon’s academy to the highest level of European football.