Liverpool Intensify Chase for PSG's Mbaye and Barcola

Liverpool are accelerating their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain duo Ibrahim Mbaye and Bradley Barcola as the transfer window ticks towards its September 1 deadline in England.

New reports in France claim Liverpool’s move for Mbaye is “progressing rapidly”, with the 18-year-old winger having agreed terms on a five-year deal that would keep him at Anfield until 2031. Talks between the clubs are now expected to ramp up, with Liverpool pushing to close the deal.

A key twist in the chase: Bayer Leverkusen, previously seen as serious competition for Mbaye, are no longer expected to pursue the Senegal international, clearing a major obstacle for the Premier League side.

Barcola, meanwhile, remains the headline target. Liverpool view the France international as the long-term successor to Mohamed Salah, who left the club at the end of last season and has since joined Trabzonspor. According to RMC Sport, Liverpool are preparing a fresh offer to PSG this week as negotiations continue, though a gap in valuation still separates the two clubs. Liverpool, however, are understood to be intent on pushing ahead.

The urgency is obvious. Andoni Iraola has seen his squad reshaped at the back, with Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo reinforcing the defence, but the attack has been left comparatively thin. Victor Munoz arrived after Liverpool triggered his £34.5 million release clause at Osasuna during the World Cup, yet he remains the only senior addition in the final third.

Behind record signing Alexander Isak, Munoz and teenage livewire Rio Ngumoha, the options quickly thin out. Hugo Ekitike is sidelined with a long-term injury, while uncertainty hangs over the futures of Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa. That fragility has already pushed academy products into the spotlight: Lewis Koumas, Will Wright, Trey Nyoni and Ifeanyi Ndukwe all featured heavily in pre-season, a sign of both promise and need.

The absence of a marquee replacement for Salah still looms over the project. Barcola is seen inside Liverpool as the player to fill that void on the right, offering the kind of direct threat and creativity the team has lost.

Tension around both PSG wingers has only intensified since the weekend. Mbaye and Barcola were left out of the squad entirely for Sunday’s French Super Cup defeat to Lens, a decision that poured fuel on the transfer speculation.

Asked about their situations after the match, PSG head coach Luis Enrique refused to be drawn into the saga. “I will only talk about the transfer window at the end of the transfer window, not before or after,” he said. “When the transfer window is closed, I will talk about all the subjects.”

Until then, Liverpool will keep pushing. With the clock running down and the Salah era already over, the next few days will reveal whether Iraola gets the wide firepower his new-look side so clearly lacks.