Liverpool's Pursuit of Bradley Barcola and Brahim Diaz
Liverpool’s search for a new right flank talisman is narrowing towards a clear hierarchy of targets – with Bradley Barcola at the top of the list and Brahim Diaz emerging as a serious contingency option.
Barcola the priority as Liverpool chase Salah successor
Mohamed Salah’s departure at the end of last season has left a hole Liverpool cannot ignore. Victor Munoz has arrived from Osasuna, but Fenway Sports Group want a headline signing for the right wing, someone who can carry the weight of a forward line expected to contend on all fronts.
Inside Anfield, that player is Bradley Barcola.
The Paris Saint-Germain winger, who lit up the 2026 World Cup with France, has become Liverpool’s primary attacking target. According to TEAMtalk journalist Graeme Bailey, there is no ambiguity about where Barcola sits on their list.
“Barcola is Liverpool’s top target, there is no doubt about that,” Bailey told TEAMtalk, outlining how the Merseyside club have now switched their full attention to the PSG star after previously focusing their efforts on Yan Diomande.
Barcola has done his part to keep the door open. He has informed PSG he will not sign a new contract, a stance he has reiterated over the past week, and his camp have made it clear he would be open to joining Liverpool. The Premier League side also understand PSG’s position: the French champions are said to have placed a £145 million price tag on the winger.
PSG know exactly what they have. Barcola is one of Europe’s elite young forwards, and this is a seller’s market. Liverpool, for their part, are preparing to move but want to drive that figure down. Ideally, they would like any deal to come in well below PSG’s valuation and, crucially, under their own British-record £125m fee paid for Alexander Isak.
That negotiation will be bruising. Arsenal’s continued interest only tightens PSG’s grip on the price and keeps the pressure on Liverpool to decide how far they are willing to go.
Diaz waits in the wings as Real Madrid reshape attack
Liverpool, though, are not gambling everything on Barcola. Behind the main pursuit, a list of alternatives is being kept warm – and Brahim Diaz is firmly on that radar.
The Real Madrid winger, under contract until 2027, offers something Liverpool like: versatility and Champions League pedigree. A Morocco international, Diaz predominantly operates from the right but can slide into an attacking midfield role or switch to the left when needed.
His problem lies in Madrid, not in his talent. Under Jose Mourinho, Brahim faces a fight for minutes. Real are set to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig to play on the right, with Kylian Mbappe earmarked for the central role and Vinicius Junior locked in on the left. That front three leaves little oxygen for others.
TEAMtalk reported over the weekend that Liverpool have also made contact with the camp of Vinicius Junior, whose contract, like Diaz’s, runs out next summer. For now, though, Brahim is the more realistic and immediate option for the right flank.
Bailey says Liverpool have not just monitored Diaz in isolation. “Liverpool have previously explored the situations of Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler and Endrick, and sources have confirmed all three are now players whose futures could be revisited because of Diomande should Madrid receive suitable offers,” he explained.
In other words, Madrid’s decision to reshape their attack with Diomande has created potential openings. If Real listen to bids, Liverpool are ready to revisit those files.
A market defined by timing and nerve
This is the transfer window Liverpool now operate in: huge fees, limited elite options, and rivals circling the same names. Barcola remains the statement signing they want. Diaz represents the smart, opportunistic move if PSG refuse to budge or the numbers become unworkable.
Liverpool know they cannot misjudge this call. The right winger they land next will not just replace Salah’s position on the team sheet – he will help define what this new era at Anfield looks like.
