Liverpool Targets PSG’s Barcola to Replace Salah
Liverpool’s search for a new right-sided talisman is accelerating, and a clear frontrunner has emerged. Bradley Barcola, the gifted French forward at Paris Saint-Germain, has moved to the top of Anfield’s summer wishlist as the club wrestles with the sizeable task of replacing Mohamed Salah.
Salah’s departure earlier this summer, agreed by mutual consent, brought a glittering nine-year era on Merseyside to a close. Goals, trophies, defining nights in Europe – all gone in one sharp break. Liverpool now need more than a winger. They need a new reference point.
Barcola moves to the front of the queue
Inside the recruitment department, the board had cast the net wide. Ivory Coast teenager Yan Diomande was an early priority, and Liverpool went hard. An offer in the region of £85 million went to RB Leipzig. It wasn’t enough. Leipzig turned it down, and now Diomande appears to be heading for Real Madrid, who are ready to go beyond the £100m mark after his World Cup exploits, despite firm pressure from PSG.
Maghnes Akliouche of Monaco also came under serious consideration. Liverpool are understood to have made an initial move for the 22-year-old, who has already attracted multiple bids from PSG. On top of that, the club have triggered the £34.5m release clause of Spain winger Victor Munoz at Osasuna – their only completed signing so far as the Andoni Iraola era begins to take shape.
But as the market shifted, so did Liverpool’s focus. The numbers, the age profile, the output at the very highest level – all roads now point to Barcola.
PSG’s price and Liverpool’s reality
The obstacle is obvious: the fee. Reports over the weekend suggested PSG want around £145m for the 23-year-old. Their stance has hardened after watching the market explode for elite young talent, particularly in England. Chelsea’s £117m move for Morgan Rogers and Manchester City’s £116m outlay on Elliot Anderson have not gone unnoticed in Paris.
PSG believe Barcola belongs in that bracket. Liverpool do not, at least not at that price.
Sky Sports report that Liverpool have prepared a first offer after holding preliminary talks with Barcola’s camp and are now readying a formal proposal to PSG. The gap between valuation and willingness to pay remains wide, but this is no longer a casual enquiry. It is an active pursuit.
A restless talent in Paris
Barcola’s situation in Paris gives Liverpool a sliver of leverage. He is under contract until 2028 but is said to be unwilling to extend, and there is frustration on his side. Two consecutive Champions League finals under Luis Enrique, two starts on the bench. For a player of his ambition, that bites.
On the pitch, his numbers last season underline why Europe’s elite are circling. Thirteen goals and seven assists in 49 appearances across all competitions for a PSG side that swept aside domestic opposition. Then three goals in eight games at the World Cup in North America, where France stumbled to a disappointing fourth-place finish but Barcola still enhanced his reputation on the biggest stage.
This is not a speculative project. This is a forward already hardened by knockout nights and tournament pressure, yet still with years of development ahead.
Liverpool’s next big call
Liverpool know what replacing Salah entails. It is not just about goals or assists. It is about reliability, presence, the sense that when the ball drops on the edge of the box in the 88th minute, one man will decide it.
Barcola is not a like-for-like clone, and Liverpool are not trying to find one. They are trying to build the next attacking era, with Iraola’s high-energy, front-foot football demanding pace, intelligence, and a relentless edge in transition. In that picture, a 23-year-old wide forward with Champions League and World Cup pedigree makes a lot of sense.
Whether it makes £145m worth of sense is another matter.
For now, Liverpool are preparing their opening move, PSG are standing firm, and Barcola is watching a decisive phase of his career unfold. The Salah chapter has closed. The question is whether Liverpool are ready to write the next one with a bold, nine-figure bet on Paris.
