Liverpool's Pursuit of Bradley Barcola Intensifies
Fabrizio Romano is “absolutely all in” on Bradley Barcola to Liverpool – and he is not backing away from it.
Liverpool, fresh from bringing in Ronald Araujo, Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz, have turned their full attention to Barcola as they search for a new elite winger in the wake of Mohamed Salah’s departure. The PSG wide man has emerged as the headline target, and the noise around him is only getting louder.
Barcola is reported to be refusing a new PSG deal beyond 2028 and is described as being very keen on a move to Anfield. Liverpool have been in direct talks over a fee, trying to find common ground with the French champions. PSG’s stance is clear: they want around £145m. Liverpool, predictably, are pushing to bring that figure down.
On Friday, one report suggested the Premier League club had decided to pause negotiations for two reasons. That story did the rounds. It hinted at a cooling of interest, a reset.
Romano has pushed straight back against that idea.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the transfer specialist insisted Liverpool are “still trying for Barcola” and repeated that he is “absolutely all in” on the deal eventually happening.
“What does it (the Torres and Godts arrivals) mean? That there is an expectation there could be movements around the situation of Bradley Barcola,” Romano said, pointing to PSG’s own business as a potential trigger.
From his perspective, nothing fundamental has changed.
“The situation of Barcola remains absolutely linked to Liverpool. I never stopped telling you and I remain absolutely all in on this story, because Liverpool want Barcola.
“Liverpool are negotiating for Barcola, and because I was believing in this news already in April, May, when the story and the narrative around was that Barcola was untouchable. But I remain on this story again today.
“Liverpool are still trying for Barcola. There’s still a gap in financial valuation between what PSG want and what Liverpool offer, but they’re still working for Barcola.
“The financial agreement with the player is okay, and now Liverpool and PSG keep talking, exchanging messages and discussing for Barcola.
“The deal is alive.”
In other words, the saga is very much ongoing. The clubs remain apart on the fee, but the player’s side is understood to be in place and the lines of communication are open.
Carragher sounds the alarm over Liverpool midfield
While the recruitment team wrestles with PSG over Barcola, Jamie Carragher is looking at another part of the pitch and seeing trouble.
For the former Liverpool defender, the biggest concern is not out wide. It is right through the middle.
“The midfield for me is still a huge problem for Liverpool,” Carragher said on The Overlap Fan Debate.
He has watched enough of pre-season to worry. Not every minute, but enough.
“I haven’t watched all the pre-season games, but I watched the last two against decent opposition – it was Leeds and then Monaco.
“And the problem Liverpool had last season was there was space everywhere in midfield. That has not gone away at all.”
The shape, for him, remains far too open. And the planned use of Dominik Szoboszlai only sharpens his concern.
“That’s only going to get bigger with the deployment of [Dominik] Szoboszlai in midfield.
“It looks like they’re going to play him, rather than as a number 10, almost as a central midfield player alongside [Ryan] Gravenberch and that is just pure box-to-box.”
Carragher sees energy, but not balance. Runners, but not enough control.
So Liverpool push on with a blockbuster chase for Barcola, trying to replace Salah’s cutting edge. The question that hangs over the new season is whether a marquee winger will be enough if the heart of the team still looks so exposed.
