Liverpool sign Barcola for £106m as Reds pursue second late window hijack

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for a guaranteed fee of £106 million, with a further £17 million in add-ons, as the club moves to reshape its attack before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

The total package of up to £123 million represents a significant discount on PSG’s opening position. Les Parisiens initially sought £145 million for the France international, but their own summer recruitment — including Mika Godts and Maghnes Akliouche — weakened their negotiating hand. Barcola had also slipped behind Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue in Luis Enrique’s attacking pecking order, making the club more willing to cash in.

The deal is among the most expensive in British football history, and it has not gone without debate. Questions remain over whether Barcola’s career output to date justifies the outlay, though Liverpool’s board will point to the £22 million saved from PSG’s original valuation as evidence of shrewd negotiation.

With fewer than 48 hours remaining in the window, Liverpool’s business may not end with Barcola. According to TEAMtalk, the club has already made contact with Lille over a late bid for Belgian forward Matias Fernandez Pardo, who is valued at around £60 million. Liverpool had been linked with Fernandez Pardo earlier in the summer, so the move would not represent a dramatic change of direction.

The pursuit of Fernandez Pardo could also deal a fresh blow to Newcastle United. Liverpool already moved ahead of the Magpies to sign Victor Munoz this window, and a second successful hijack would further frustrate Eddie Howe’s recruitment plans in the final hours of the deadline.

Defensive depth remains a concern at Anfield despite the arrivals of Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo, and the long-term question of a successor to Mohamed Salah has not been fully resolved. For now, however, Andoni Iraola’s side appear focused on bolstering their attacking options as the window draws to a close.