Liverpool's Interest in Akliouche: PSG Leading the Race
Liverpool’s search for life after Mohamed Salah has taken them back to the French market – but for now, they are watching Maghnes Akliouche from a distance rather than driving the deal.
The Monaco winger, one of Ligue 1’s most eye-catching young attackers, has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield in recent days, with reports in England suggesting Liverpool had already made an initial approach. The reality is more nuanced.
PSG in the driving seat
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has poured cold water on talk of a Liverpool hijack, making it clear that Paris Saint-Germain are still leading the race.
On his YouTube channel, Romano underlined that the situation has not shifted: PSG have an agreement with Akliouche, the player wants the move to Paris, and negotiations between PSG and Monaco are ongoing. The key point? There is still no agreement between the clubs, so the door is not fully closed. But Liverpool are not inside the room yet.
Romano stressed that, despite the noise, Liverpool have not made a concrete move. If they step in, he said, he will report it – but as things stand, PSG “remain firmly in control of the situation” and are pushing to finalise the transfer.
The warning is obvious. Deals can flip in an instant, as seen with Morgan Rogers, but right now Liverpool are on the outside looking in.
Liverpool’s winger puzzle
This comes in the context of a major reshaping of Liverpool’s forward line. The club have already invested around €40m in Victor Munoz from Osasuna, adding a Spain international winger to Arne Slot’s options.
That signing, though, was never meant to be the full stop on their wide attacking business. Liverpool signalled back in March that Mohamed Salah would be allowed to leave for a new challenge this summer, and the recruitment team have been working through a list of potential successors for the right flank.
RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande was an early leading candidate, only for reports to suggest the player favours a switch to PSG. Now Akliouche appears to be following a similar path, with the French champions again positioned as the preferred destination.
It underlines the reality of the current market: Liverpool remain a giant, but PSG’s pull for young French talent is immense.
Akliouche on the list – but not at the top
Inside Anfield, Akliouche is being viewed as an option rather than an obsession.
The Athletic’s James Pearce, speaking on GiveMeSport’s Market Madness podcast, described the Monaco winger as “a possibility, rather than a kind of definite” for Liverpool. He revealed there had been an approach earlier in the window and that Akliouche is one of several names being assessed before the club decide how to attack the post-Salah era.
Pearce also framed Akliouche in financial terms. The 22-year-old would be a cheaper alternative to Bradley Barcola, with a fee in the region of €50–60m likely to be required. Barcola, already at PSG, would command a significantly higher outlay.
So Liverpool are doing their homework. They have sounded out Monaco. They know the price. They know he fits the profile as a right-sided winger who can grow into a starring role.
What they have not done yet is commit.
A race Liverpool may not run
The picture, then, is clear. PSG have an agreement with Akliouche and his preference is to move to the Parc des Princes. Monaco and PSG are still haggling over the fee, which leaves a sliver of opportunity for an ambitious rival to crash the party.
Liverpool, though, are not that rival at this moment. They are tracking, not triggering.
With Salah’s future pointing away from Anfield and one new winger already through the door, the club must decide whether Akliouche is worth forcing the issue for – or whether their next right-sided star will come from elsewhere on that growing shortlist.
