Liverpool Ready to Walk Away from Barcola Deal as Arsenal Wait
Liverpool’s search for a successor to Mohamed Salah has hit a wall, and it is a very expensive one built in Paris.
Talks with Paris Saint-Germain over Bradley Barcola have dragged on without a breakthrough, and Liverpool are now prepared to step away from the table rather than meet a price they consider excessive. Arsenal, watching closely from a distance, suddenly have a clearer view of a potential opening.
£145m stand-off
Barcola has been identified by Liverpool as a leading candidate to fill the void left by Salah, who joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer last week. The France winger ticks the boxes: young, explosive, hungry for more minutes than he is currently getting at PSG.
The problem is the fee.
PSG have set their asking price at around £145million, according to The Athletic. Liverpool have no intention of matching that valuation. PSG, for their part, are refusing to budge. Barcola may be keen on the move to secure a bigger role, but his wishes are not shifting the numbers in the boardroom.
So the talks have stalled. With deadline day only three weeks away, Liverpool’s patience is thinning. The club are now ready to walk away and divert their efforts elsewhere rather than be drawn into a bidding war on PSG’s terms.
Alternative plans at Anfield
Liverpool’s stance is not a negotiating bluff. The recruitment team have already started to line up alternatives, aware that Andoni Iraola’s squad still looks light in key attacking areas.
One of those alternatives is closer to home for PSG: 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye. The teenager, a team-mate of Barcola in Paris, has emerged as a possible target as Liverpool explore different profiles and price brackets to reshape their forward line.
The message from Anfield is clear. They want a top winger, but not at any cost.
Arsenal sense opportunity
Liverpool’s reluctance to go all-in on Barcola could change the landscape for Arsenal.
The Gunners are still searching for a marquee attacking addition after missing out on Vinicius Junior, who chose to sign a new long-term contract with Real Madrid rather than entertain a move to north London. That setback has not dulled Arsenal’s ambition.
They have already strengthened the left flank with Christos Tzolis, yet interest in Barcola remains. Arsenal are not rushing in; they are watching. If Liverpool formally step away from negotiations and PSG’s stance softens even slightly, the path to a bid becomes far less crowded.
For now, Arsenal are “patiently monitoring” the situation, waiting to see whether Liverpool’s hard line turns into a full retreat.
Arteta wants more firepower
Mikel Arteta has been open about his desire to keep adding quality before the window closes. He has already landed a major midfield signing, with Bruno Guimaraes arriving for £75m last week, but his attention has now turned towards the front line.
“Well, that's what we're trying to do,” Arteta said when asked about further signings this summer. “If we have the right player in the market to make us much better, we are very looking forward to that.”
The “right player” could yet be Barcola. A dynamic wide forward in his early twenties, available from a club that has already sold big names and may yet sell again if the price is right.
For Liverpool, the question is whether they can afford to walk away from a prime target in a window already ticking down. For Arsenal, it is whether they are ready to pounce if the door from Anfield swings shut and the one from Paris creaks open.
