Liverpool are to open official talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a deal for Bradley Barcola on Monday, though the Reds are making it clear they will not meet their staggering £140m valuation of the winger, while the player himself has made his feelings clear on a prospective move to Anfield.
It emerged over the weekend what TEAMtalk has been telling you for weeks – that Barcola has no intention of signing a new deal with PSG this summer and, with two years left on his current arrangement, the reigning European champions would be open to his sale.
At the time of our report, which first emerged from our transfer correspondent, Graeme Bailey, on June 13, we confirmed that Barcola had informed the French giants of his wish to leave this summer, with the 23-year-old having slipped down the pecking order and expressing concern at his dwindling minutes under Luis Enrique.
That desire to quit has only increased off the back of PSG’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to bring Yan Diomande to the club. The Ivorian winger is now on the cusp of joining Real Madrid in a €100m-plus deal.
Then, on June 30, we revealed that officials from Liverpool were now in contact with Barcola’s camp over a potential move to Anfield, with the player placed at the very top of FSG’s six-man winger wishlist this summer.
At the time, we also revealed that PSG would likely place a prohibitive valuation on Barcola as they look to maximise his sale potential, having seen what was happening in the English market this summer.
As a result, it was no shock to hear that over the weekend, PSG had made it clear that they would be seeking a record-breaking fee of £140m (€164m, $187m) for his sale this summer, with the recent £117m move of Morgan Rogers to Chelsea being used as a new barometer.
Now, according to multiple sources, official talks between the two clubs will begin on Monday – but the Reds have instantly made one thing crystal clear…
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Indeed, per the Daily Mail, Liverpool have already informed PSG that they will not be meeting that £140m demand and are making it clear that they will be seeking a compromise on that fee.
The Reds’ interest in Barcola dates back 12 calendar months, and Liverpool will point to the £75m fee they were quoted for the 29-cap France star last summer as a reference point.
To that end, it’s reported that Liverpool are immovable in their stance that they will not be paying £140m for the transfer and the French side will need to negotiate on the price if all parties are to come to an agreement.
However, the Mail has backed up claims that Barcola has now made it clear he wants to join the Merseyside giants, and, while there is interest from Bayern Munich and Arsenal, neither of those has yet to make an official approach for his services.
Given the player’s wish to move to Anfield, there is strong hope that a compromise agreement can be reached over the fee.
In a post on X on Sunday, Fabrizio Romano also gave more weight to a move to Anfield by posting: ‘Liverpool have been leading the race for Bradley Barcola since April — and they are working on the deal.
‘Understand Barcola’s open to the move and gives priority to #LFC project if they can get a deal done with PSG. Liverpool, waiting for PSG indications on price/details.’
Now, a new update from Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has revealed that ‘Liverpool will do everything they can to sign Barcola before transfer deadline day’.
In his post on X, Plettenberg revealed: ‘Liverpool are aware of the player’s personal terms and do not expect any issues on that front if a transfer agreement with PSG can be reached.’
Confirming talks were to be held today, he added: ‘More talks are scheduled for Monday. Liverpool are considering submitting an opening bid soon. Barcola is open to leaving PSG this summer.’
Just last week, Barcola was told how he can force PSG to sell him and secure what has been described as an ‘absolutely outrageous’ transfer to Anfield.
As an interesting aside to their Barcola pursuit, it has since emerged that Liverpool will look to sell a 50-goal star if they are successful in their Barcola pursuit.
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