Liverpool ready formal Barcola bid as FSG weigh up second PSG deal worth £42m

Liverpool are preparing to lodge a formal written bid for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, with French journalist Fabrice Hawkins reporting that a fee in the region of £111m–£128m (€130–150m) would be sufficient to complete the transfer. The Reds have so far submitted only verbal proposals, but Hawkins, speaking on the After Foot podcast, indicated that the next formal offer is expected to be the one that closes the deal.

PSG’s asking price of around £130m represents a significant hurdle. Should Liverpool match it, the deal would set a new British transfer record, surpassing the £118m Chelsea paid for Morgan Rogers earlier this summer. Hawkins also noted that PSG have no desire to retain Barcola, meaning the sticking point is purely financial.

Liverpool received a degree of encouragement last weekend when PSG left Barcola out of their squad for the French Super Cup against Lens. Luis Enrique’s side have added considerable attacking depth this summer — Ferran Torres, Mika Godts, and Maghnes Akliouche have all arrived — making Barcola’s departure more plausible.

The 22-year-old French international scored 13 goals and contributed seven assists across all competitions last season as PSG won both Ligue 1 and the Champions League. His profile fits the attacking void left by Mohamed Salah’s exit from Anfield.

Barcola is not the only PSG player on Liverpool’s radar. Recent reports suggest the club are also considering a £42m move for 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye, who registered three goals and two assists across 29 appearances for the Parisian club last season.

Liverpool have made two signings so far this summer in Victor Munoz and Ronald Araujo, but manager Andoni Iraola has made clear that further arrivals are coming. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s match against Newcastle, the 44-year-old said: “We’ll definitely sign players, yes. I hope more than one. The thing is, me as a coach selfishly, I want the players for the first day of pre-season so everyone is ready to go.”