Liverpool Prepares New Bid for Bradley Barcola After PSG Signing
Liverpool sense an opening in the race for Bradley Barcola and are preparing to go back to Paris Saint-Germain with a new offer next week, buoyed by PSG’s move for Mika Godts.
The Merseyside club have been locked in drawn-out negotiations all summer as they search for another attacking weapon for Andoni Iraola’s frontline. Talks have repeatedly hit the same wall: PSG’s valuation. The French champions are understood to be holding firm at around £145m, a figure that has stalled progress and forced Liverpool to at least consider alternative options.
As recently as last week, The Athletic reported that Liverpool were close to pivoting towards other targets. The deal looked like it might drift.
Then PSG signed Godts.
The 19-year-old winger has arrived from Ajax in a transfer that could rise to £47m and has signed a five-year contract. His arrival crowds an already stacked attacking department and, crucially for Liverpool, nudges Barcola further towards the exit.
Barcola has been open to leaving, driven by a desire for regular first-team football that has been difficult to secure in Paris. He has spent much of his time playing behind big-name options such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, and Godts’ record – 30 goal contributions in 34 Eredivisie games last season – only sharpens that competition.
The pressure on Barcola’s place is obvious. So is the opportunity for Liverpool.
Reports in France claim Godts’ move will speed up Barcola’s departure, with Liverpool increasingly confident they can tempt the Frenchman to Anfield and readying a renewed bid for next week. The shift in mood on Merseyside is clear: what looked like a fading pursuit has been jolted back to life by PSG’s latest signing.
Arsenal will not welcome that development. They have also been tracking Barcola, but some reports indicate the north London club are reluctant to go anywhere near PSG’s asking price. If that stance holds, Liverpool could find themselves with a clearer run at a player admired by a Premier League rival.
Barcola’s current status at PSG underlines the tension. He remained on the bench as an unused substitute during the 2-1 UEFA Super Cup win over Aston Villa earlier this week, with another summer recruit, Maghnes Akliouche, preferred from the start. For a player already restless, that kind of evening rarely cools transfer speculation.
If Liverpool do finally strike an agreement, Barcola would become the second winger through the door at Anfield this summer, following Victor Munoz. One wide recruit signalled a refresh. A second, at this scale and from a club like PSG, would announce something bolder about how Iraola wants his attack to look in the months ahead.
