Barcola joins Liverpool for £106m and keeps the shirt number a FIFA video game inspired

Bradley Barcola has signed for Liverpool in a deal worth an initial £106m, potentially rising to £123m, with the France international winger committing to a five-year contract at Anfield.

Despite the vacant No 11 shirt left by Mohamed Salah being available, the 23-year-old has opted to continue wearing No 29 — the same number he carried at Paris Saint-Germain. The choice traces back to Alex Hunter, the fictional striker at the centre of FIFA’s ‘The Journey’ story mode, whose squad number Barcola adopted before joining PSG and has kept ever since.

Barcola said the pull of Liverpool was immediate once he learned of their interest. “I had the chance to play twice in this stadium and I saw the atmosphere and how the fans were behind the Liverpool players,” he said. “When I knew about Liverpool’s interest in me, I didn’t ask questions and I knew it was a very big club for me.”

The winger had been a Liverpool target throughout the summer and resisted interest from other clubs to push through the move to Merseyside. “It took a long time but I’m really happy today to be able to play for Liverpool,” he added. “I hope to achieve very big things. First of all, winning the Premier League — it’s one of my biggest dreams in my life.”

Barcola arrives with significant European pedigree, having been part of the PSG squad that won back-to-back Champions League titles in 2025 and 2026, featuring as a substitute in both finals. Capped 28 times by France, he represents the latest in a string of major Liverpool outlays, following the arrivals of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz — both for fees exceeding £100m — the previous summer.

He joins Victor Munoz and Jeremy Jacquet as senior signings at Anfield this summer. Liverpool are also weighing whether to allow Cody Gakpo to join Manchester City, which could open the door for further winger recruitment before the window closes.