Liverpool's Summer Rebuild: Beyond Barcola and Mbaye
Julien Laurens has warned that Liverpool’s summer rebuild in attack cannot stop at Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, even if the club pull off their ambitious Paris raid.
The Reds are driving hard to reshape their forward line in the shadow of Mohamed Salah’s expected exit. Barcola is the headline target from Paris Saint-Germain, with team‑mate Mbaye also firmly on the radar as part of a potential double swoop.
But when Laurens was asked on Sky Sports (17:45, Tuesday, August 18) whether landing both PSG attackers would effectively complete Liverpool’s window, the European football expert pushed back. For him, one more centre-forward still has to be on the shopping list.
“I still think that until [Hugo] Ekitike comes back from injury – it’s a long one, we’re not sure exactly when it will be – they probably need a back up to Alexander Isak. Especially if Cody Gakpo goes,” he said.
“You’re only left really with Isak as your nine. Ok, you could look at [Federico] Chiesa, you could look at maybe other options like a [Dominik] Szoboszlai as a false nine, or Curtis Jones as a false nine.
“But I still think they would need a backup striker there until Ekitike comes back.
“It could be a loan, it could be like the [Ronald] Araujo deal they did for the defence.
“Then also that midfield needs a bit of a rebuild, especially for the way Iraola wants to play, very different to Arne Slot. I’m not sure right now this midfield is exactly what he would want.”
His point is clear: swapping wide forwards and playmakers in and out is one thing, but going into the season with a single recognised No 9 would be a huge gamble for a side with Liverpool’s ambitions.
Liverpool chase ‘double discount’ in Paris
The financial scale of what Liverpool are attempting in France is enormous. PSG value Barcola at around £145million, a fee that would put him among the most expensive signings in the club’s history. Adding Mbaye on top of that would send the total cost soaring.
Liverpool, though, sense an opening.
There is confidence that Barcola’s price can be driven down to about £125million, with Mbaye potentially available for as little as £30million. Put together, that’s a combined outlay of £155million – still vast, but viewed at Anfield as a “double discount” compared to PSG’s original stance.
Officials from Liverpool are already in Paris, according to TEAMtalk, working to close the gap in valuations and drag the talks towards an agreement. The negotiations are live, tense, and far from straightforward.
What strengthens Liverpool’s hand is the situation of the players themselves. Both Barcola and Mbaye have been frozen out of the PSG squad while their futures are decided, a clear sign that the French champions are prepared to move them on if the numbers stack up.
That gives Liverpool hope. It does not give them certainty.
At this stage, it remains unclear how close the Premier League club actually are to getting either deal over the line. The framework is there, the willingness seems mutual, but the final figures are still a hurdle.
And if both Barcola and Mbaye do walk through the doors at Anfield, there is an obvious consequence. A permanent move for an out‑and‑out striker becomes highly unlikely, with the bulk of the budget already poured into Paris. Any extra No 9 cover would almost certainly have to come from the loan market.
Finding a meaningful loan, this late in the window, is notoriously difficult. That’s the tightrope Liverpool are on: push hard for their Paris pair and trust creativity and versatility to cover the middle, or heed Laurens’ warning and somehow squeeze one more striker into an already complex summer rebuild.
