Liverpool Nears Deal for Bradley Barcola: Impact on Cody Gakpo
Liverpool are closing in on a blockbuster move for Bradley Barcola – and the fallout could define Cody Gakpo’s future at Anfield.
Barcola: ‘Here we go’ for Liverpool
After weeks of negotiations, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have finally struck an agreement for Barcola. David Ornstein reported on Thursday morning that the two clubs had reached a fee with the deal “now at the final stages”, and Fabrizio Romano has now delivered his trademark confirmation.
On his latest YouTube video, Romano declared his “here we go”, revealing that Liverpool and PSG have a deal in principle. The next steps are procedural: documents will be prepared, exchanged and checked by the lawyers. Once that is done, Barcola will receive the green light to travel for his medical and to sign his contract at Anfield.
The move has been a long time coming. Liverpool have been tracking the France international for a considerable period and made him their top target for the left wing. At various points, reports from England and France insisted Barcola would not leave PSG, or that he was simply not for sale. Figures as wild as €170m were mentioned around his name.
Romano pushed back on that narrative and has now laid out the terms. Liverpool, he says, wanted Barcola originally for the summer of 2025. Instead, they have accelerated the plan and landed him now for a guaranteed £100m fee. PSG sources, according to Romano, believe they will ultimately receive around €140m once add-ons are included.
The deal suits everyone. PSG secure a huge payday. Liverpool land a winger Romano describes as “one of the best in the world”. Barcola, for his part, gets the move he wanted – to Liverpool. As Romano put it, all parties are “happy”. Story closed on Barcola. Story very much open on what comes next.
Spotlight swings to Gakpo
Barcola’s arrival immediately sharpens the focus on Cody Gakpo.
The Dutchman has been the subject of persistent speculation this summer, with Tottenham and now Manchester City both circling. According to Romano, those talks are real. He says both clubs are in “constant contact” to understand Gakpo’s situation.
Tottenham, Romano reports, already have an agreement with Gakpo, while his agents are also in discussions with Manchester City. The decision now looms: stay and fight for his place in an increasingly crowded Liverpool attack, or jump to a new project in London or under Pep Guardiola.
Liverpool have been preparing for that possibility. They have already tested the market for another winger in case Gakpo leaves, seeing bids rejected for Yankuba Minteh and making enquiries for Ismaila Sarr. The club’s next move hinges directly on the Dutchman.
Romano is clear on the sequence. If Gakpo goes – to Tottenham or to Manchester City – Liverpool will move to add one more winger on top of Barcola. If he stays, they are ready to go with the current squad.
So the Barcola saga is effectively done. The real intrigue now sits with Gakpo. Does he become the high-profile casualty of Liverpool’s new-look forward line, or the man who decides to stay and scrap for his place in an attack being rebuilt around a £100m winger?
