Liverpool close in on £111m-£128m Barcola deal as PSG agreement nears deadline

Liverpool are edging closer to signing PSG winger Bradley Barcola before the summer transfer window closes on September 1, with French outlet L’Equipe reporting that an agreement is near and the player’s camp growing increasingly optimistic a deal will be struck.

The Reds have pursued the French international for much of the summer, but the two clubs have been some distance apart on valuation. PSG have demanded in excess of £145m, a figure Liverpool have been unwilling to meet. However, it is now reported that a bid in the range of £111m to £128m could be enough to bring the left winger to Anfield, and sources close to the deal have indicated there is no serious concern it will collapse despite the slow progress to date.

Barcola himself is understood to be keen on joining Andoni Iraola’s side. Should the transfer be completed, the eventual fee is expected to surpass the Ligue 1 record for a sale to an overseas club, eclipsing both Ayyoub Bouaddi’s forthcoming move to Manchester City and Neymar’s 2023 switch to Al-Hilal, though the precise final figure has not been confirmed.

Liverpool’s summer business has been relatively modest so far, with Spanish winger Victor Munoz, Barcelona loanee Ronald Araujo, and French defender Jeremy Jacquet the only arrivals at Anfield. The departure of Curtis Jones last week shifted the club’s focus firmly toward incomings, and Barcola has long been identified as the marquee addition Iraola’s squad requires.

Separately, defender Calvin Ramsay has joined Scottish Premiership side St Mirren on loan, subject to international clearance. The right-back, who signed for Liverpool from Aberdeen in an initial £4.2m deal in June 2022, is out of contract at Anfield next summer and will not be offered a renewal, meaning his move to St Mirren is likely a precursor to a permanent free transfer departure in 2026. Ramsay expressed excitement at returning to Scotland following the agreement.