Liverpool are stepping up their pursuit of Mohamed Salah’s long-term replacement ahead of the new season.
The Reds will be back in action in a few weeks and, with pre-season in full swing, new manager Andoni Iraola is working on how best to deploy his squad to make significant improvements on the performances seen last season under Arne Slot.
It has been a relatively quiet summer transfer window for the Merseyside giants, with only Victor Munoz and Jeremy Jacquet confirmed as new additions to the squad for next season so far.
However, a fresh update on Liverpool’s plans to sign a new winger has now been revealed.
What’s the latest Liverpool transfer news?
It is no secret that Liverpool are keen to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola, having been strongly linked with a move for the Frenchman since before the World Cup began.
Now that the World Cup is over and business can resume as normal, Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg has revealed Liverpool’s efforts to get a deal done for Barcola.
In a post on social media platform X yesterday, Plettenberg claimed:
“Liverpool have already opened talks with Bradley Barcola’s camp and Paris Saint-Germain.”
“Barcola is now Liverpool’s top transfer target. The Reds are determined to sign him before Deadline Day. ##LFC”
“The deal is complicated and will largely come down to the financial package.”
Will Liverpool sign Bradley Barcola?
There is no doubt that Barcola has the qualities, experience and winning mentality to become an incredible long-term asset for Liverpool, but whether they can meet PSG’s valuation is another matter entirely.
It has been widely reported that the back-to-back Champions League winners want £145m to part ways with their winger this summer, although there is believed to be a significant gap between Liverpool’s valuation and PSG’s asking price.
The Reds have been big spenders over the last 12 months, with the £125m signing of Alexander Isak and the £116m arrival of Florian Wirtz dominating the headlines this summer.
However, the club will be under no illusions that replacing Salah’s influence, impact and output in a red shirt will be incredibly difficult.
Doing so would almost certainly require signing a genuine superstar, and that is likely to come with a hefty price tag.
With that being said, the progress of this deal will be one that the Anfield faithful will be paying close attention to for the remainder of the summer, as the France international could prove to be the catalyst for maintaining Liverpool’s high attacking standards next season.
