Barcola Set for Liverpool Move as €140m Deal Approaches Completion
Bradley Barcola’s long, twisting summer is almost over. The winger is preparing to swap Paris for Merseyside, with his move to Liverpool now entering its final stretch.
According to L'Équipe, the 23-year-old is due to fly to England on Saturday to complete a medical and put pen to paper on a long-term deal at Anfield. After weeks of hard bargaining between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, the runway is finally clear.
From PSG omission to Anfield arrival
The clearest sign came last weekend. Barcola was left out of Luis Enrique’s squad for PSG’s 2-2 draw with Rennes, a decision that effectively confirmed what had been brewing behind the scenes: his time at the Parc des Princes was coming to an end.
Personal terms are already understood to be agreed. What remains are the final signatures and formalities on English soil before Liverpool unveil one of the most expensive signings in their history.
A €140m statement
The deal, worth around €140m in total, underlines the scale of Liverpool’s push to stay among Europe’s elite. PSG had initially held out for €170m, but Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes and Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon eventually found common ground with the French champions.
That compromise still makes Barcola the second-costliest arrival the club has ever made, behind only the £125m splashed on Alexander Isak last year. It fits a broader pattern: a club that has already gone big on talents such as Florian Wirtz is doubling down again.
For PSG, this is a different kind of landmark. The sale will be the biggest in their history, a headline departure that feeds into Luis Enrique’s attempt to reshape a squad that has too often felt bloated and unbalanced.
Salah’s heir apparent
Inside Liverpool, Barcola was flagged early in the window as the man to eventually take up Mohamed Salah’s mantle on the right. When a move for Yan Diomande collapsed, the club stopped hedging their bets. All energy and funds were redirected towards prising the former Lyon forward out of Paris.
Barcola’s numbers last season were solid rather than spectacular: 49 appearances, 13 goals. The bigger story was his role. With Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue also jostling for attacking spots, he rarely felt like the undisputed first choice.
At Anfield, the pitch looks clearer. Liverpool see a player ready to grow into a central role rather than orbit around others.
Pressure on the current forward line
A €140m arrival does not walk quietly into a dressing room. The knock-on effects are already being felt.
Cody Gakpo’s future is under the microscope, with the Dutchman linked to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. If Barcola lands and locks down a starting berth, Liverpool may have to make a tough call on at least one established attacker to keep both the accounts and the squad balance in check.
High-profile exits are firmly on the table. The recruitment team is braced for that reality, even as they keep searching for extra cover on the right flank.
Liverpool have been busy right up to the final hours of the window. Enquiries for Ismaila Sarr and Endrick were knocked back, but the club did not step away from the market. Instead, they pushed harder for the deal that mattered most.
Now it comes down to a flight, a medical, and a signature. If all goes to plan, Barcola will walk out at Anfield not just as Liverpool’s latest marquee signing, but as the man expected to help define what comes after the Salah era.
