Liverpool must go all-in on Barcola to back their new manager's ambition
Tue, 4th Aug, 2026
Barcola or bust: why Liverpool can't afford to let PSG's price scare them off
Breaking all banks, we must get him! Liverpool must pay PSG whatever fee they want for the Swinging French forward Bradley Barcola - he's a massive upgrade on Cody Gakpo.
Liverpool must go all-in on Barcola to back their new manager's ambition
Andoni Iraola didn't hide his excitement when he sat down for his first interview as Liverpool boss. He spoke about the pull of the club itself — the fans, the history, the chance to compete for silverware at the highest level — and called it an opportunity that's genuinely hard to top anywhere else in football.
It's easy to see why he sounds energized. Iraola has earned this moment the hard way, building an identity at Rayo Vallecano before turning Bournemouth into one of the most entertaining sides in the Premier League, capped by a landmark Europa League qualification last season. Taking over at Anfield is the logical next step, and he arrives with exactly the kind of high-intensity, front-foot approach that can restore the aggressive Klopp-era identity Liverpool had quietly lost under Arne Slot.
The problem is the squad he's inheriting doesn't currently look built for another title fight. Liverpool limped to fifth in the Premier League last season, a brutal 25 points off Arsenal, and were dismantled by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals. It was a campaign that demanded a serious reset.
So far, the transfer business hasn't matched the scale of that problem. Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz have arrived for a combined £95m, but that spending largely plugs the gaps left by Ibrahima Konate and Mohamed Salah walking out the door. What's missing is a genuine statement signing — someone who can match the belief Iraola is already selling to supporters.
That's where Bradley Barcola comes in. The PSG winger has reportedly become a top target at Anfield, and he has the profile to be exactly the kind of transformative addition this rebuild needs. He won't be cheap. But if Liverpool are serious about closing the distance to their rivals, they need to accept that and pay it.
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The door is open — barely.
Per Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have now opened formal club-to-club discussions with PSG over Barcola, and the player himself is said to be keen on the move. Liverpool have reportedly indicated a willingness to go beyond €100m (£86m) to get it done.
But according to RMC Sport, the two sides remain far apart — PSG are said to want as much as €170m (£146m), a fee that would smash the current Premier League transfer record Liverpool themselves set last summer when they paid £125m for Alexander Isak.
Given how Isak's injury-hit first season on Merseyside went, it's understandable if that price tag makes Liverpool hesitant. But Barcola's fitness record tells a different story — he's missed only around ten games through injury since joining PSG from Lyon in 2023, and he's younger, sturdier, and sharp enough to sidestep the physical punishment defenders tend to dish out.
He's also firmly in the conversation as one of the best left wingers in the world right now, and he's just turned down the chance to extend his PSG deal past 2028. Chances like this don't come around twice. Liverpool need to move before it's gone.