Liverpool Eyeing Bradley Barcola as Winger Target
Liverpool are drawing up a new winger shortlist, and Bradley Barcola now sits near the top of it.
With Yan Diomande edging towards Paris Saint-Germain, the Premier League club are preparing for life without their first-choice target as they reshape an attack that no longer includes Mohamed Salah.
Diomande slipping away
Liverpool had identified Diomande as the ideal wide addition this summer, but their pursuit has stalled at the negotiating table. RB Leipzig are holding out for a fee well beyond the £86m Liverpool were prepared to commit for the 19-year-old Ivory Coast international.
Liverpool have refused to cross that line. PSG have not.
The French and European champions are in active talks with Leipzig, buoyed by Diomande’s clear preference for a move to Paris. Luis Enrique’s side already have a contract agreed with the winger through to 2031, leaving only the club-to-club agreement to be finalised. Unless something dramatic changes, Liverpool look set to watch a top target head to the Parc des Princes.
Barcola comes into focus
As Diomande drifts towards PSG, attention on Merseyside has sharpened on Barcola, who has emerged as one of the leading alternatives under consideration.
Liverpool have already moved once in the wide areas, bringing in Victor Munoz from Osasuna for £34.5m as part of a broader plan to refresh their forward line. The task now is to find the right profile to help replace Salah’s influence on the right and across the front line.
Barcola fits much of that brief. Quick, direct, and comfortable operating from the left or right, the 23-year-old offers versatility and a high technical ceiling. More importantly, his situation in Paris has opened a possible door.
A restless talent in Paris
Barcola’s future at PSG is no longer straightforward. His frustration has been simmering over a lack of trust in the biggest games, highlighted most starkly when he was overlooked for the Champions League final win against Arsenal.
That omission cut deep. For a player of his age and ambition, watching from the fringes on the biggest night of the club’s season has raised serious questions about his role under Luis Enrique.
Sky Sports News reported earlier this month that Barcola could push for a move if those frustrations remain when he returns from the World Cup with France. PSG’s stance is clear: they want to keep him, but not at any cost.
The Ligue 1 champions will not stand in his way if he decides to leave and a club meets their valuation. There will be no discounts. With two years left on his contract, this summer is a logical moment for PSG to cash in if Barcola refuses to extend.
Arsenal watching, Liverpool weighing up
Liverpool are not alone in their admiration. Arsenal have also monitored Barcola, assessing him as a potential option for the left wing. For now, though, their focus in that position appears to be on Morgan Rogers at Aston Villa, leaving Liverpool with a cleaner run should they choose to accelerate talks for the PSG winger.
The Merseyside club’s transfer work this summer has already been decisive. Jeremy Jacquet has arrived from Rennes for £60m to strengthen the spine, while Munoz adds another option out wide. At the same time, there has been a quiet but significant changing of the guard: Andy Robertson has joined Tottenham on a free, Ibrahima Konate has left for Real Madrid on a free, and Salah has been released along with Rhys Williams.
The message is unmistakable. This is a new cycle at Anfield, and the wide positions are central to it.
Whether Liverpool now turn that intent into a formal move for Barcola will define how their forward line looks for years. With Diomande drifting towards Paris and Barcola unsettled there, the next decision on Merseyside carries real weight.
