Bayern Munich chief admits Liverpool's £123m Barcola bid was too rich, but backs Diaz to draw bigger crowds

Bayern Munich director of sport Max Eberl has admitted that Liverpool’s £123million pursuit of Bradley Barcola this summer left the Bundesliga club with no realistic path to a deal, while taking a subtle swipe at the Reds by arguing that Luis Diaz — the man they signed from Anfield for £65.5m last year — carries greater commercial appeal.

Eberl revealed he had tracked Barcola since his time at RB Leipzig and that Bayern held concrete discussions with the France international before his move from Paris Saint-Germain to Liverpool. The price, however, proved prohibitive. “To be honest, I already knew Bradley from my time in Leipzig, I wanted to bring him to RB,” Eberl said. “We sat down together and discussed it, that’s how I developed a closer relationship with Bradley. So, there was always interest. Of course, we also considered Bradley at Bayern. But when you hear those kinds of sums, it was too much for us.”

Eberl was quick to frame Bayern’s decision to pursue Diaz instead as a conscious choice rather than a consolation. “With Luis Diaz, we made a decision that was also expensive, but on a different scale than Bradley. Moreover, Diaz is a player that draws fans to the stadium. We’re extremely happy with him.” The remarks carry an implicit suggestion that Liverpool’s record outlay on Barcola may not deliver the same box-office returns as the Colombian winger they sold.

Liverpool had been reluctant to part with Diaz last summer after he scored 17 goals in all competitions during the 2023-24 season, but ultimately sanctioned the sale. Barcola, meanwhile, was also linked with Arsenal before completing his move to Anfield.

The 22-year-old was handed his first Liverpool start on Wednesday as the Reds hosted Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, with Andoni Iraola’s side producing a 2-1 comeback win. Dominik Szoboszlai cancelled out Marcos Llorente’s opener before Alexis Mac Allister struck a late winner. Barcola’s evening was cut short, however, when he pulled up clutching his calf just before the hour mark and was replaced by Victor Munoz.

Iraola moved quickly to play down the concern. “No, it’s just cramps, especially with Bradley. We are kind of rushing him a little bit as he hasn’t played any minutes in pre-season,” the Liverpool manager said. “We want him there but at the end we decided for him to give us whatever he has and let’s see now how they recover for the next one, as we play again in three days.”

Barcola had made his Liverpool debut as a substitute at Ipswich Town on the opening weekend, with Wednesday’s Champions League fixture representing his first start since featuring for France in the summer.