Liverpool Pursuit of Barcola Gains Momentum as Gakpo Faces Exit
Liverpool’s pursuit of Bradley Barcola has dragged on all summer. Now it finally has momentum.
Fresh talks with Paris Saint-Germain have gone Liverpool’s way, with figures inside the French club increasingly resigned to losing the winger before the window shuts. The expectation in Paris is that Barcola will leave, and Liverpool are at the front of the queue.
The price is brutal. PSG’s Qatari ownership want well over £110m for the France international, a figure that already scared Arsenal off. Liverpool, though, remain locked in, even as they juggle a tight budget and a thin squad.
To make it work, something may have to give. That something could be Cody Gakpo.
Manchester City retain a strong interest in the Dutch forward, and Tottenham have been linked as well. A Gakpo sale could fund the Barcola deal in a market that increasingly resembles a housing chain: one transfer depends on another, and every move jolts the next one into life.
Liverpool’s wider problem is clear. The hierarchy, led by sporting director Richard Hughes, go into the final week of the window knowing the squad has to be bigger. Not just better. Bigger. Multiple areas need attention, and not enough money is there to cover them all.
As one source put it, it feels like being stuck in a boat with six leaks and only enough material to plug one or two. Spend heavily on the wings, and you risk going short elsewhere. Hold back, and you might miss the chance to land a rare, elite wide forward.
The Minteh bids underline that urgency. Liverpool have already seen two offers for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh rejected as they look to reinforce both flanks. They want pace, goals and depth. The clock is not on their side.
Arsenal push hard for Alvarez
Across north London, Arsenal are closing in on what they hope will be the final flourish of their summer: Julian Alvarez.
The Atletico Madrid forward is open to the move, even though he initially leaned towards Barcelona. Arsenal see him as the extra edge in their title defence, a forward who can both lead the line and drift into the half-spaces that power Mikel Arteta’s system.
If they pull it off, it would cap a window that has been more about refinement than revolution. But Alvarez’s situation is tangled up in other clubs’ plans.
Atletico Madrid, already braced for Alvarez’s possible exit, have sounded out Chelsea over a loan move for Nicolas Jackson, with a potential obligation to buy. Chelsea would rather sell outright, and Aston Villa are also in the conversation, with a £65m deal being discussed. Any resolution there could smooth Alvarez’s path out of Madrid – and possibly into the Emirates.
City rip up their midfield and cash in
Manchester City, meanwhile, are tearing up and rebuilding their midfield in one summer.
They have agreed a €100m deal with Lille for Ayyoub Bouaddi. The 18-year-old Morocco international will cost an initial €95m, with a further €5m in add-ons, making him the third most expensive signing in City’s history. Only Jack Grealish and £116m man Elliot Anderson have cost more.
Bouaddi arrives as part of a sweeping overhaul after the departures of captain Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders. It is a bold bet on youth and upside under Enzo Maresca, with City banking on another teenage midfielder to anchor the next cycle.
At the same time, City have sanctioned a record sale. Savinho has joined Tottenham in a deal worth £85m, replacing Julian Alvarez as City’s priciest outgoing. Spurs will pay £75m up front, with £5m in guaranteed add-ons and another £5m potentially to follow.
The move takes Tottenham’s summer spending past £300m and makes Savinho one of the three most expensive players in their history, alongside Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.
City are not done. They retain interest in Liverpool’s Gakpo and could yet revive a move for Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, a transfer that would instantly become one of the stories of the summer.
United complete midfield overhaul and turn to Balde
Across Manchester, United’s focus has shifted from the middle of the pitch to the left side of their defence.
Carlos Baleba has arrived from Brighton for an initial £65m, with a possible £5m in add-ons, completing a £148m midfield rebuild under Michael Carrick. The Cameroon international has signed a five-year deal and believes the former United midfielder can push him to a new level.
With the centre of the pitch addressed, United are now pushing hard for a left-back. Alejandro Balde has given them a significant boost.
Spanish outlet Marca report that the Barcelona defender has decided he wants to leave. Joao Cancelo’s arrival and Balde’s omission from the squad for the game against Elche have shifted his thinking, with the player no longer convinced he should stay and fight for his place.
United are seen as frontrunners, but they are prioritising a loan rather than a permanent deal. If Barcelona accept that structure, one of the most highly rated young full-backs in Europe could be on his way to Old Trafford.
Newcastle move for Gonzalez as Guimaraes replacement
Newcastle United have made their own decisive midfield move, agreeing a £52m deal with Manchester City for Nico Gonzalez.
The 2025 Carabao Cup winners will pay £48m up front with £4m in add-ons. For City, it represents a small profit on the £49m they paid Porto in January 2025.
For Newcastle, it is about experience and stability. At just 24, Gonzalez will be the oldest signing of their summer, a deliberate shift after the departures of captain Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali left a gaping hole in the middle of the park.
He is undergoing a medical today and is set to become their marquee addition of the window.
Chelsea cash in on Delap and weigh up attacking reset
Chelsea’s own reshaping continues at pace.
Nottingham Forest have agreed a club-record £50m fee for striker Liam Delap. Signed from Ipswich for £30m, Delap struggled in his debut season at Stamford Bridge, scoring just two goals in 41 appearances and losing the No 9 shirt to Joao Pedro.
Chelsea will bank a £20m profit on the 23-year-old, who is due for a medical on Wednesday.
With multiple outgoings planned, Chelsea are open to bringing in a versatile attacker if they can clear enough space and wages. Marcus Rashford has been discussed internally as one such option, though any move there would require further dominoes to fall.
Villa braced for Watkins and Martinez exits
At Aston Villa, the mood is uneasy.
Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez were both missing from the matchday squad amid rising speculation that they are preparing to leave. Watkins’ situation looks especially advanced, with a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal believed to be close.
For a club and player who have been good for each other, the timing and destination of Watkins’ likely exit threaten to cloud his legacy at Villa Park.
The market is moving quickly now. Chains are forming, big names are edging towards the door, and every sale seems to unlock two more deals. With a week to go, who blinks first: the clubs clinging to their stars, or the ones desperate enough to pay whatever it takes?
