Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain are holding key talks in a bid to bring clarity over a proposed transfer for Bradley Barcola
The discussions are seen as an important step to establish a direction of travel on a potential move for the 23-year-old, who is committed to joining the Merseyside club
Earlier this summer Barcola emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Mohamed Salah, who left the club at the end of the 2025-26 season
The Athletic reported on July 29 that the Premier League side were preparing an opening bid for the France international, as they looked to formalise their interest in him
Barcola, who has two years remaining on his current deal, had made it clear he does not want to sign a new deal with the European champions
PSG had indicated that they value Barcola at around £145million but Liverpool want to do a deal at closer to £100m, given the player’s contract situation and desire for a new challenge on Merseyside
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The 23-year-old forward would walk into most starting line-ups, but faces fierce competition for minutes at PSG and France’s national team
Barcola made 49 appearances for the French side last season, contributing 13 goals and seven assists, playing an important role as they retained the Ligue 1 title and Champions League
Playing predominantly from the left wing but also able to operate on the opposite flank, Barcola was in direct competition with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue for minutes and his game-time in the latter stages of PSG’s Champions League run came from the bench
Barcola is a product of Lyon’s academy, and broke into the first team in the 2021-22 season. He recorded seven goals and 12 assists in 47 appearances before joining PSG in August 2023. He has gone on to make 152 appearances for the Paris club, scoring 39 times and providing 37 assists
He was named in Didier Deschamps’ 26-man squad for this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, featuring in all eight France fixtures and scoring three times
What does this mean for Liverpool?
Analysis by Liverpool correspondent Gregg Evans
The sooner this saga is resolved the better
Clearly Liverpool need a boost to their attacking ranks and Barcola is the one they’ve been waiting for all summer. He’s the wideman who could make a real difference with his direct and purposeful play
Liverpool need a forward who can strike fear into opponents and Barcola, with his skillset, ticks all the boxes
If a deal can be agreed, Iraola will also have another pacy winger he can turn to as he looks to impose a new front-foot style on the team. Supporters have been waiting all summer for something to get genuinely excited about, and this is the one they’re hanging their hopes on
If a deal cannot be agreed, Liverpool still need time to consider alternative options so drawing a line under this pursuit either way is important, because regardless of the outcome, the need for at least one new attacker is still essential and the clock is ticking
