Barcola seals £106m Liverpool move as Gakpo heads to City in shock swap

Bradley Barcola is set to join Liverpool after the club reached a final agreement with Paris Saint-Germain on a deal worth an initial £106m, rising to £123m with add-ons, as the Premier League transfer window enters its final two days.

The 22-year-old France winger is expected to sign a five-year deal at Anfield following a breakthrough in negotiations earlier this week. Liverpool had been in discussions with PSG for some time, and the two clubs finalised terms to push the deal over the line.

Barcola’s arrival is set to trigger a significant knock-on effect at Liverpool. Cody Gakpo is reportedly in line to leave Anfield and join Manchester City in what would be one of the more surprising moves of the summer window. Should Gakpo depart, Liverpool are expected to pursue additional wide options, with Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace among those previously considered.

Manchester City are also in active talks to sign Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea, adding further intrigue to the final stretch of the window. Chelsea moved to address their goalkeeping position over the weekend by bringing in Emiliano Martinez, and if Fernandez does leave Stamford Bridge, the club may look to Bournemouth’s Alex Scott as a potential midfield replacement.

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are holding firm on Julian Alvarez, insisting the Argentina striker will not be sold to Barcelona. That stance has opened the door for Arsenal, who could make a late move for the former Manchester City forward before Tuesday’s deadline.

Aston Villa are also active. The Athletic reports that Unai Emery’s side have reached an agreement in principle to sign 18-year-old PSG winger Ibrahim Mbaye for a reported €55m (£47m). Mbaye had been linked with Liverpool earlier in the window and has been absent from PSG’s squad for their last three matches alongside the outgoing Barcola.

Villa’s summer has already seen significant movement. The club signed Nicolas Jackson following the departures of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers, and also added Johan Manzambi. A separate Villa target, Rafael Leao, appears set to join Galatasaray from AC Milan after Villa declined to match the Turkish club’s wage offer.