REUTERS/Scott Heppell
Liverpool have put the finishing touches on a blockbuster deal to sign Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain. The French forward will join for £106m plus £17m in add-ons.
Signing on a five-year contract, the 23-year-old will be expected to help rekindle Liverpool's frontline after a year of frustration and underperformance. Alongside Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, he could be the difference-maker.
wirtz-konate-isak-liverpool
You'd hope so. Each of those players arrived at Anfield for nine-figure fees, and in the case of Isak, there is no more time for profligacy and disappointment at No. 9.
Why Isak's form will shape Liverpool's season
Across the many sweeping changes that Liverpool made in the summer of 2025, the most exciting was the £125m British-record deal to bring Isak over to Anfield from Newcastle United.
Sadly, it did not turn out to be a productive campaign for the 26-year-old, who struggled for form in a new setting and then fell to a leg break in December after bagging against Tottenham Hotspur. He would score just one more goal before summer, making it three for the campaign.
Where is the fearsome phenomenon who wreaked so much havoc at St. James' Park? He's got to be in there somewhere, and it's up to Andoni Iraola to find him, now that Mohamed Salah has left for Trabzonspor and Hugo Ekitike faces many more months of recovery from an ACL injury sustained against PSG in April.
In fairness, Isak's confidence will have been boosted by a well-taken goal against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, connecting after Cody Gakpo's delivery, but much more that is needed if the Reds are going to wield the kind of world-class striker they paid such big money for.
Ekitike, 24, was one of Liverpool's brightest sparks last season, having joined from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal rising to £79m. He is slated to return to action around Christmas, but it could take longer still for him to return to full form in a new system.
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Premier League - Top Scorers since Isak's Debut
Player
Erling Haaland
Mohamed Salah
Ollie Watkins
Alexander Isak
Bryan Mbeumo
It's not all doom and gloom. Isak completed 90 minutes against his old employers last weekend, the first time he has done so for the Reds.
A promising World Cup campaign with Sweden further illustrates his capacity to return to world-class heights, but Iraola may feel that Liverpool need to sign another wide forward before Isak is firing on all cylinders once again.
How Liverpool can get Isak firing
Barcola should make a marked difference for Liverpool and for Isak. The French forward's pace and potency in the final third should allow Isak to find space and chances with greater regularity than has been the case for much of his career on Merseyside.
REUTERS/Sam Navarro
But the Reds need more, with Salah still not replaced on the right side.
Well, as per reports in Italy, Liverpool are planning another bid to sign Ismaila Sarr from Crystal Palace, having already seen a £50m offer knocked back for the Senegalese winger. Personal terms have already been agreed with the 28-year-old, but whether Liverpool can make a breakthrough with the Eagles remains to be seen.
Sarr has been a thorn in Liverpool's side for many years, and he could now join the Anfield side and provide a prolific touch that has been missing. Last season for Palace, he scored 21 times.
Sarr no longer brings the same ball-carrying ferocity that he once did in the Premier League, completing , but in that, he could cement himself as Isak's new version of Anthony Gordon.
Gordon, who signed for Barcelona this summer, is a pacy winger, but he's not unrelenting in his output, and his directness when entering the final third is something that Sarr brings to the table too.
Like Gordon, Sarr is not world-class, but his set of skills could perfectly complement Isak as the Sweden international looks to find form in the Premier League once again.
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Ismaila Sarr - Most Goals Scored Against (English sides)
Club
Aston Villa
Liverpool
Norwich
Brighton
Stoke
Reading
While signing Sarr would ensure that Liverpool no longer have to feel the force of the Senegal international's strike-rate against them, he could balance out Iraola's frontline and ensure Isak has the balance to strut his stuff at centre-forward, with runners stretching lines and allowing him to perform as he did for the Tynesiders.
Sarr's creative numbers leave a lot to be desired, but Isak is a dynamic forward with sublime link-up play. The combination could be fantastic, and it could secure the kind of versatility and unpredictability that Liverpool lacked last season.
Former Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum
Former Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum