Between the end of the 2025-26 season and the first weeks of the World Cup, Liverpool made it clear via press briefing that not only were two top wingers a primary concern for their offseason plans to correct the mistakes of last summer, but that Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig was the top target.
They signed one winger, Victor Muñoz of Osasuna, but it soon transpired Diomande was only using Liverpool as leverage. He is now on the verge of joining Real Madrid. After Diomande, Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley
Barcola was cast as option two, but then talk went largely quiet during the meat of the World Cup.
Now, with the tournament over, pre-season in full swing, and the 2026-27 season rapidly approaching there is again an increase in chatter. And according to TalkSport’s Ben Jacobs—known for his connections to Liverpool’s disappointing sporting director Richard Hughes—Barcola is on the front burner.
Despite that, and despite that widespread rumours over the past week have focused on both Liverpool’s supposed interest in Barcola and Barcola’s desire to join the Reds, it is said that Liverpool have not yet begun formal talks with PSG over the player. Those, though, are said to be set to begin soon.
However, PSG’s initial asking price of €170M is likely well in excess of any fee the Reds would be willing to pay, and in fact the figure is fully double the €85M the club believed they would have been able to sign Barcola for last summer. Of course, last summer PSG weren’t selling and Barcola didn’t want a move.
This summer, the eyebrow-raising moves of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City and Morgan Rogers to Chelsea, with both in the region of €140M, have caused chaos at the top end of the market as selling clubs look to use those transfers as a benchmark while so far most buying clubs highly resistant.
From PSG’s point of view, Barcola is a move proven player. From Liverpool’s, Barcola has two years left on his contract and wants out—while both Anderson and Rodgers had more years left. Also, Anderson and Rodgers count as domestic trained players for registration purposes, which Barcola wouldn’t.
For a deal to get done, Liverpool will need to pay considerably more than they would have last summer—but also PSG’s ask will have to come down, also considerably. In any case, the clock is clearly ticking, and without new signings Hughes will be seen to be setting up new head coach Andoni Iraola for failure.
