Liverpool's Pursuit of Bradley Barcola Heats Up
Liverpool’s pursuit of Bradley Barcola is very much alive, with senior figures at Anfield locked in direct talks with Paris Saint-Germain as they race the clock before the transfer window closes.
The Premier League club, reshaping their attack after Mohamed Salah’s departure to Trabzonspor, want not just one winger, but two. Barcola has emerged as the headline target for the left flank, while Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh is being chased to strengthen the right.
Barcola talks intense – but nowhere near €170m
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has moved to cool some of the more extreme noise around the deal, dismissing suggestions of a €170m fee as unrealistic.
“On Bradley Barcola, guys, I told you since the beginning, it is not going to be €170m,” he said on his YouTube channel, explaining that people inside the industry never believed the price would reach that figure. It will still be “a big amount of money,” but nowhere near the sums being thrown around in some quarters.
The key detail is how the negotiations are being handled. This is not a standard, step-by-step saga with public bids and instant leaks. Romano described “a direct exchange day by day” between Liverpool and PSG, conversations driven by club directors and owners rather than played out via formal offers in the media.
That explains the relative lack of traditional updates – no constant drip of “bid submitted, bid rejected” – yet the talks are very much active. “The deal is alive,” Romano stressed, adding that Barcola is “absolutely a deal that Liverpool want to complete in the next few days” and that his expectation is for Liverpool “to go very strong” to get it done.
An agreement with PSG, of course, still has to be reached before any “Here we go” moment can be declared.
PSG insiders braced for Barcola exit
Inside PSG, there is a growing sense that Barcola will be on the move before the window shuts.
Journalist Ben Jacobs reports that club insiders “expect” the winger to leave as discussions with Liverpool continue. His update underlines the direction of travel: PSG are not treating this as a speculative enquiry, but as a live situation likely to end with Barcola heading for the Premier League.
Liverpool have already acted decisively in this market, bringing in Victor Munoz from Osasuna, while walking away from a deal for Yan Diomande once it became clear the player preferred another destination. The strategy now is clear: reload out wide, quickly and aggressively.
Minteh, Gakpo and the wider attacking puzzle
While Barcola is the priority on the left, Liverpool have also lodged two bids for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh as they search for a right-sided option to help fill the Salah void.
Their business on the wings could be shaped by what happens with Cody Gakpo. Tottenham are pushing to sign the Dutchman, with Manchester City also interested. Jacobs notes that, as of Monday night, City had yet to make a direct approach to Liverpool, but the interest is there.
Romano has echoed that Liverpool want “one more” winger if Gakpo does leave for Spurs or City, underlining how fluid and interconnected their late-window planning has become.
Barcola, Minteh, Gakpo. PSG, Brighton, Tottenham, City. Liverpool are juggling all of it at once, under pressure, with the clock ticking.
If they land Barcola as expected in Paris and resolve Gakpo’s future on their terms, this window could redefine their front line for years. If not, how long will it take to replace the shadow of Salah on the Anfield touchline?
