Liverpool are facing a very big obstacle in their efforts to recruit Bradley Barcola when Paris Saint-Germain is asking for up to 145 million pounds for the French winger. If they accept this price, the Anfield team will break the transfer record not only of the club but also of the entire Premier League.
Liverpool have been following Barcola for more than a year and had considered spending about 70 million pounds to bring the French international to Anfield. However, The Kop's board at that time decided not to promote the deal in order to create conditions for young talent Rio Ngumoha to develop.
After a season continuing to impress in PSG colors, Barcola's value has skyrocketed. Although not the number one choice in coach Luis Enrique's big matches, the 22-year-old player is still in the group of the most highly rated attacking players in Europe.
Barcola often has to compete with the trio Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Meanwhile, PSG also plans to add a new winger, with targets such as Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig or Maghnes Akliouche of Monaco. This raises speculation that Barcola may leave, but the reigning Champions League champions only agree to negotiate if they receive a huge fee.
According to PSG's assessment, the price of 145 million pounds is completely reasonable in the context of the escalating transfer market. Chelsea has just spent 117 million pounds to recruit Morgan Rogers, while Manchester City spent 116 million pounds for Elliot Anderson. With a contract valid until 2028, PSG is not under any pressure to sell Barcola.
For Liverpool, the problem of finding a successor to Mohamed Salah is becoming increasingly urgent. The Kop leadership has been looking for a world-class winger for more than a year, from Arne Slot's time until Andoni Iraola took over the coaching bench.
Barcola is considered an ideal player model thanks to speed, dribbling ability and creating breakthroughs. However, the current price makes the deal extremely complicated. Just a year ago, the figure of 70 million pounds was mentioned, but now PSG has doubled the demand after market fluctuations.
The Red Brigade" also pursued Yan Diomande with an offer of about 100 million pounds but was rejected by RB Leipzig, before Real Madrid rose to the upper hand in the race to sign the Ivory Coast player. In addition, the Anfield team is also linked with Maghnes Akliouche, Yankuba Minteh, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Rayan to strengthen the two wing corridors.
However, all deals depend on financial factors. In the context of player prices continuously setting new milestones, Liverpool will have to consider very carefully between the need to upgrade the squad and the ability to meet fees that are increasingly far exceeding the traditional value of the market.
If they cannot convince PSG to lower the price or switch to another target, Liverpool is likely to continue to enter the new season without finding someone strong enough to succeed Salah.
This is a problem that is not only related to expertise but also reflects the harsh reality of the transfer market at this time. Top stars are becoming increasingly difficult to approach even with teams with rich financial potential.
