Liverpool Close In on Bradley Barcola as Salah Replacement in £123m PSG Deal
Bradley Barcola is set to sign a five-year contract with Liverpool running until 2031, after the Premier League club reached agreement with Paris Saint-Germain over the final structure of a transfer package that could be worth up to £123 million.
According to Sky Sports, Liverpool are now set to pay £106 million up front for the France international, with a further £17 million payable in add-ons, bringing the total package close to £123 million. An agreement in principle over the overall £120 million valuation had been reached earlier in the week, with the remaining discussions centred on how the fee would be structured between guaranteed payments and performance-related add-ons. Formal documents must still be exchanged between the two clubs, with Barcola expected to undergo a medical over the coming weekend before the move is finalised.
The transfer marks the end of a lengthy summer-long pursuit, with a significant valuation gap having separated the two clubs for much of the window. PSG had previously been asking for around £145 million for the 23-year-old winger, before the two sides found common ground on a lower package. Should the deal go through as expected, Barcola would become Liverpool’s second-most expensive signing in the club’s history, behind only the £125 million deal that brought striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United to Anfield last summer.
Barcola joined PSG from Lyon in 2023 for an initial €45 million and went on to play a significant role in the club’s recent successes, contributing to PSG’s Ligue 1 and Champions League double last season and starting on the bench for the club’s Champions League final win over Arsenal. However, facing intense competition for playing time from teammates including Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, and with two years still remaining on his contract in Paris, the winger has grown increasingly keen on a fresh challenge at Anfield.
The move is widely seen as Liverpool’s answer to the departure of long-serving forward Mohamed Salah, who left the club as a free agent at the end of last season to join a Turkish club, bringing an end to a nine-year spell on Merseyside. Barcola’s arrival would also potentially pave the way for winger Cody Gakpo to leave Liverpool, with both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City reported to hold interest in the Dutchman.
The Reds have already been active in the current transfer window, having also brought in Ronald Araujo, Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz this summer, in addition to earlier significant signings including Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong. Liverpool are also said to be pursuing a second new winger before the transfer deadline, with Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr currently viewed as their leading target following difficult negotiations with Brighton over a separate move for Yankuba Minteh.
Speaking before finalising the deal, Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola acknowledged the club’s efforts to strengthen its wide attacking areas, noting the club’s current shortage of numbers in that position and expressing hope that positive news on new arrivals would follow soon. With Barcola’s transfer now edging closer to completion, Liverpool look set to close out the summer window with one of their most significant additions of a busy period of squad rebuilding at Anfield.
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