Liverpool's Pursuit of Barcola and Alternatives for the Post-Salah Era
Liverpool’s post-Salah rebuild is beginning to take shape – and it has a very clear focal point.
Barcola the priority – but at a brutal price
Fenway Sports Group want a marquee right-sided forward to anchor the next era at Anfield. Victor Munoz has arrived from Osasuna, but inside the club there is no doubt: the position still needs a headline signing.
Bradley Barcola has become that obsession.
The PSG winger, fresh from starring for France at the 2026 World Cup, has told the French champions he will not sign a new contract. That stance has lit up recruitment meetings across Europe, and Liverpool are at the front of the queue.
TEAMtalk journalist Graeme Bailey describes Barcola as “Liverpool’s top target, there is no doubt about that.”
The club have done this before: they poured months into groundwork on Yan Diomande, more than any other side, before shifting their full attention to Barcola once it became clear he could be prised from Paris.
Barcola’s camp have indicated he is open to joining Liverpool. Crucially, Liverpool also know exactly where PSG stand. The Ligue 1 club have slapped a £145m price tag on one of Europe’s elite young forwards, fully aware they operate in a seller’s market.
Barcola has again informed PSG in the past week that he has no intention of extending his deal. That pressure could eventually force a decision in Paris, but it does not guarantee a discount. Liverpool are preparing a move and would like to land him for well below that £145m figure and, if they can, beneath the British-record £125m fee they previously paid for Alexander Isak.
Arsenal remain in the conversation. Liverpool know it. The race has the feel of a long, tactical duel rather than a quick smash-and-grab.
Brahim Diaz on the radar if Barcola proves too costly
Liverpool, though, are not staking the entire Salah succession plan on one man.
Behind Barcola sits a list of alternatives, with Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz prominent among them. The former Manchester City winger is under contract at the Bernabeu until 2027 and offers something Liverpool value: versatility across the frontline.
The Morocco international usually operates from the right, but he can slide inside as an attacking midfielder or switch to the left. For a coach looking to rotate and reshape a forward line without losing fluency, that profile is gold.
His situation in Madrid is tightening. Under Jose Mourinho, and with Yan Diomande set to arrive from RB Leipzig to play on the right, Brahim faces a fight for minutes. The plan in the Spanish capital is clear: Diomande wide, Kylian Mbappe through the middle, Vinicius Junior on the left. That leaves limited space for others.
It is not just Brahim whose future could be affected. TEAMtalk reported that Liverpool have also made contact with the camp of Vinicius Junior, who, like Brahim in this report, is said to be out of contract next summer. Liverpool are tracking every possible crack in Madrid’s attacking hierarchy.
Bailey says Liverpool have “previously explored the situations of Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler and Endrick,” and that all three could come back into focus if Madrid receive suitable offers in the wake of Diomande’s arrival.
For now, Barcola remains the dream signing. The one Liverpool want more than any other to fill the void on the right and launch a new attacking trident.
But in a market where £145m valuations and heavyweight rivals set the tone, the presence of a live alternative like Brahim Diaz could be the difference between a summer of frustration and a decisive step into the post-Salah era.
