Liverpool is deep into negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain over a move for Bradley Barcola, the 23-year-old French winger who has reportedly already given verbal agreement to the transfer. The price tag, however, is where things get interesting: Liverpool is prepared to bid north of €100 million, while PSG has slapped a €150 million valuation on the player. That’s roughly £128.5 million, or the kind of number that makes even Premier League accountants blink.

The deal represents Liverpool’s most significant move to replace Mohamed Salah, whose departure from Anfield has left a gaping hole on the right side of the attack.

The state of play

Club-to-club discussions are officially underway, moving past the whisper-and-rumor phase that defines most summer sagas.

Barcola has reportedly spoken directly with Liverpool’s new manager Andoni Iraola and liked what he heard enough to verbally commit. He’s also made it clear to PSG that he won’t be signing a contract extension.

PSG, for their part, is already actively scouting replacements, a signal that the French champions have mentally moved on from keeping Barcola in their plans.

Barcola still has two years remaining on his PSG contract, which runs through 2028. That gives the Parisian side some leverage, but a player who has publicly signaled his desire to leave and refused to extend is a depreciating asset on the balance sheet.

The Salah-shaped hole at Anfield

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has been vocal about the club’s needs, emphasizing that Liverpool urgently requires a right-wing replacement specifically. That’s where things get slightly awkward with the Barcola pursuit: the Frenchman is predominantly a left-sided player, not a natural right-winger. Carragher has flagged this distinction, noting Liverpool needs someone to fill Salah’s exact role rather than adding another option on the left.

At 23, Barcola offers the kind of long-term upside that a replacement in his late twenties wouldn’t.