via Reuters
Liverpool are expected to find an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to sign Bradley Barcola, when they submit their next offer to the Ligue 1 champions, according to an update coming out of France.
Liverpool have been searching for a high-profile replacement for Mohamed Salah all summer, but they have so far failed to land either of their top two targets in Barcola, and previously Yan Diomande, who has joined Real Madrid instead.
However, the Reds remain in talks over a deal to sign the former before the September 1 deadline, with the player keen to make the switch to Anfield after deciding he isn't going to extend his contract at the Parc des Princes.
||
Liverpool's Record Signings
Alexander Isak
Florian Wirtz
Virgil van Dijk
Hugo Ekitike
Alisson
The main issue is the gulf in valuation for the player between the two clubs, with PSG wanting €170m for the 23-year-old, and Liverpool initially valuing him at closer to the £100m mark.
According to reliable French journalist Fabrice Hawkins, speaking on the Africa Foot podcast, the Reds have made different verbal offers, but no written offer has yet been received.
The reporter believes that once Liverpool have an idea of the price that PSG will accept and submit an official offer, the deal will get done.
He said: “There’s no intention to keep Bradley Barcola. The sticking point has been the valuation, where they started at €170m.
"We’ve understood that it would be somewhere between €130m and €150m, but in any case, it won’t be below €120m for Bradley Barcola. Everyone involved in this deal thinks there will be an agreement."
Liverpool Could Spend Up to £200m Before Deadline
Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley
With PSG valuing Barcola at around £145m and Liverpool nearer the £100m mark, you do wonder if the clubs could find middle ground at around the £120m mark for a deal for the 'elite' forward in the coming days.
Even if that does happen and the deal goes through, Andoni Iraola has made it clear that he wants more attacking additions through the door.
With Salah leaving, Hugo Ekitike likely to be out of action until 2027, and Cody Gakpo being linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, it is no surprise that the Spaniard would want another forward, even after signing Victor Munoz and potentially Barcola.
The Reds hold an interest in Barcola's PSG teammate Ibrahim Mbaye but, like with Barcola, they consider the French club's valuation of the teenager to be too high.
Liverpool may have already turned their attentions away from the Senegal international to focus on Brighton and Hove Albion's Yankuba Minteh instead, with David Ornstein reporting in the last 24 hours that they have had a £50m bid rejected for the 22-year-old.
The Daily Mail have reported that the Merseyside outfit are expected to make a fresh bid for the Gambian ahead of the September 1 deadline.
If they reach up towards the £60m mark, it is not beyond possibility that Liverpool end up spending another £200m, or close to at least, in the next 10 days.