Liverpool Pursue PSG Stars Barcola and Mbaye
Liverpool have gone back to Paris Saint-Germain with fresh bids for Ibrahim Mbaye and Bradley Barcola as they continue an aggressive rebuild of Arne Slot’s squad this summer.
The club have already moved decisively in the market, landing centre-back Jeremy Jacquet from Stade Rennais for £55m, Victor Munoz from Osasuna for £34.5m and Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona. Defence and the wide areas were the priority. They’re still very much in focus.
Now the attention is locked on PSG’s highly rated pair. Liverpool see Barcola and Mbaye as signings that don’t just pad out the squad, but elevate it.
Barcola deal “alive” as talks drag on
Bradley Barcola has been on Liverpool’s radar for months. The interest has never really cooled, even as the numbers involved have risen and PSG’s stance hardened.
Transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel last week, underlined just how persistent Liverpool have been in their pursuit.
“The situation of Barcola remains absolutely linked to Liverpool,” he said. “I never stopped telling you and I remain absolutely all in on this story, because Liverpool want Barcola.
“Liverpool are negotiating for Barcola… Liverpool are still trying for Barcola. There’s still a gap in financial valuation between what PSG want and what Liverpool offer, but they’re still working for Barcola.
“The financial agreement with the player is okay, and now Liverpool and PSG keep talking, exchanging messages and discussing for Barcola.
“The deal is alive.”
That gap is sizeable. PSG value the France international winger at around £130m, a figure Liverpool have been trying to chip away at while keeping the player onside. On that front, they appear to be in a strong position, with personal terms described as agreed.
Enrique’s pointed message and PSG stance
Luis Enrique has not named Barcola directly, but his recent comments carried a clear edge. The PSG head coach spoke over the weekend about the type of dressing room he wants as the club reshapes its squad.
“We are a very young, very ambitious team,” he said. “It is important for us to make changes and look for players who enjoy playing our way and who love playing for PSG.
“When a player doesn’t want to come here, or doesn’t have a smile on their face about being here, it is better to find another solution.”
Those words landed just as Barcola and Mbaye were both left out of PSG’s Trophée des Champions defeat to Lens on Sunday. Asked about their absence, Enrique kept his cards close.
“I’ll talk about the situation after the transfer window has passed,” he said.
For Liverpool, that silence only fuels the sense that there is a deal to be done if they can find the right number.
Double bid as Liverpool test PSG resolve
PSG’s combined valuation of the pair is eye-watering. Barcola at around £130m, Mbaye at a reported £42m. A total of £172m. That price tag looms over the talks and could yet derail them.
Even so, Liverpool have not backed away. A well-known X account with over 700,000 followers, which claims to operate with a team of “five elite reporters”, reported on Monday night that the Anfield hierarchy had stepped back up to the table.
“EXCLUSIVE: This evening around 5pm Liverpool Football Club drop a double bomb,” the account wrote. “Fresh new bids for Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye. Sources say the Reds are confident the Barcola deal gets done. And they’re quietly hopeful the Mbaye bid lands too.”
Confidence on Merseyside, caution in Paris, and a vast financial gap between them. Something has to give.
Liverpool have already reshaped the spine of their team this summer. If they can now prise Barcola and Mbaye out of PSG, the entire complexion of their season – and their ceiling – changes in an instant.
