Barcola exiled by PSG as Liverpool close in on £128m deal with deadline looming

Bradley Barcola has been frozen out of Luis Enrique’s PSG squad amid Liverpool’s pursuit of the French winger, with the transfer window closing on 1 September. Barcola was absent from PSG’s French Super Cup defeat to Lens and their Ligue 1 opener at Rennes, with RMC Sport reporting he will not feature for the club until his situation is resolved.

Liverpool have been chasing the 22-year-old for much of the summer, but PSG’s initial asking price of over £140 million has proved a sticking point. The Reds are not prepared to meet that valuation, though French media reports suggest a fee in the range of £111m to £128m could be enough to get the deal done. Barcola is said to be keen on the move to Anfield.

Also frozen out at PSG is Ibrahim Mbaye, who has similarly been linked with Liverpool this summer. Like Barcola, Mbaye will not be considered for selection until his future is clarified.

On a separate front, Liverpool are also pushing to sign Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh before the deadline. The Reds had an opening bid of £50m rejected last week, and a follow-up offer of £60m was also turned down. Despite that, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reports that Minteh has already agreed personal terms with Liverpool and that the Gambian international “dreams” of moving to Anfield. The two clubs are now working to bridge the gap in their valuations.

Liverpool’s summer business has been limited so far, with Spanish winger Victor Munoz, Barcelona loanee Ronald Araujo, and French defender Jeremy Jaquet the only arrivals. The departure of Curtis Jones last week has added further urgency to their push for reinforcements in the final days of the window.