Liverpool's Right-Winger Search: Barcola vs. Savinho
Liverpool’s search for a new right-winger is turning into a high‑stakes game of patience and opportunity, with two very different names shaping the debate: Bradley Barcola and Savinho.
Barcola price tag tests Liverpool’s resolve
Liverpool’s recruitment team, led by Richard Hughes, are still scouring the market for a successor to Mohamed Salah on that right flank. One of the most prominent names in the frame remains Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola, but the numbers around him are eye-watering.
The Frenchman is being valued at around £145m. At that price, he stops being a smart solution and starts becoming a major strategic decision. If Hughes refuses to go that high, Liverpool will have to pivot – and quickly.
There is also the question of fit. Barcola is right-footed and has often looked more dangerous cutting in from the left than operating on the right. Yes, his versatility would appeal, and he could offer a high-level option on either wing, but he does not mirror the profile Liverpool have lost.
Salah, who left Anfield at the end of June after agreeing to terminate his £400k-per-week deal a year early, gave Liverpool something very specific: a left-footed, goal-hungry presence driving in from the right. Andoni Iraola does not currently have that weapon in his squad. That gap shapes every conversation Liverpool now have about wide forwards.
Savinho: the Salah-style option on the market
This is where Savinho enters the picture.
Stylistically, the Manchester City winger is closer to Salah than Barcola. Left-footed, direct, and eager to attack from wide areas, he ticks boxes Liverpool have been trying to refill since Salah’s departure.
Savinho, 22, has already told City he wants out this summer in search of regular first-team football. His situation has been laid out publicly by Fabrizio Romano, who reported that the Brazilian has informed the club of his desire to leave and his need to play more to develop his career. City have been told. The decision now sits with them.
The winger’s frustration is understandable. He has been on the fringes under Pep Guardiola, and his spell as a standout at Girona has only sharpened his sense that he is ready for a bigger role elsewhere. Previous reports have already linked Liverpool with a move, and his profile makes that link easy to understand.
Tottenham push, Liverpool wait
Liverpool, though, are not alone in this.
Romano has also stated that Savinho is at the top of Tottenham’s attacking shortlist, a priority target since May. Spurs are pushing, and they want clarity fast.
According to TEAMtalk, Roberto De Zerbi’s side have given Manchester City a deadline: conclude talks for Savinho by the weekend or they will move on. Cody Gakpo is even mentioned as a possible alternative target for the North London club if a deal for the Brazilian stalls.
That ultimatum could reshape the market. If Spurs walk away, a door swings open for Liverpool. If they don’t, Savinho may never reach the Anfield conversation in any serious way.
A £60m gamble with upside
TEAMtalk value Savinho at around £60m, with the winger tied to a contract at City until 2031 under Enzo Maresca. It is a long deal, and that kind of security usually pushes the fee upwards, but £60m for a 22-year-old with his ceiling is a very different conversation to £145m for Barcola.
Some Liverpool supporters might still raise an eyebrow at the idea of signing a player City are willing to lose. Yet the talent is clear. In the right system, with a coach willing to build his confidence and give him responsibility, Savinho has the tools to become a major weapon.
For Liverpool, the equation is stark. Do they stretch their model for Barcola, a superb but imperfect stylistic fit at an enormous price? Or do they watch the Savinho situation play out, hoping Spurs’ deadline passes without agreement and a more Salah-like option drops into their range?
The clock is ticking on City’s decision. If talks with Tottenham collapse, Hughes will know exactly when to move.
