- Published
Liverpool have twice paid more than £100m for players - midfielder Florian Wirtz and striker Alexander Isak - and could be about to do so again.
uncertain
Liverpool → publish → players
Paris St-Germain and France winger Bradley Barcola has become a main target for Liverpool, with the Reds prepared to pay about £100m, while PSG are holding out for somewhere near £145m.
Liverpool, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, 25 points behind champions Arsenal, could eventually end up paying Bayer Leverkusen £116m for Wirtz, while they shelled out a club record £125m to sign Isak from Newcastle.
And they could be about to break the bank for 23-year-old Barcola, who was part of France's squad at the World Cup.
uncertain
who → become → Cup
He came on as a second-half substitute in both the past two Champions League finals, when PSG beat Inter Milan 5-0 in 2024-25 and then in May when they edged past Arsenal on penalties to retain their title.
uncertain
they → come → title
Barcola moved to PSG from Lyon in 2023 for a reported £38.5m and has since also won three Ligue 1 titles, the French Cup twice, as well as the Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Intercontinental Cup.
asserted
Barcola → move → titles
He is right footed, although he prefers to play on the left wing, but can also play on the right or through the middle.
However, with PSG also having Georgia's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and France's Desire Doue as wide options, Barcola does not play 90 minutes every match so a move to Anfield would give him more playing time.
asserted
move → prefer → time
With Mohamed Salah leaving on a free transfer at the end of last season having scored 257 goals in a hugely successful nine-year spell with the Reds, Liverpool clearly need to strengthen their attack.
asserted
Liverpool → leave → attack
France forward Hugo Ekitike ruptured his Achilles tendon in April and is not expected to play again in 2026, while Cody Gakpo, another who can play on the left and in the middle, has been linked with a move to Tottenham, although Liverpool say they do not want to sell.
asserted
they → rupture → Tottenham
The Reds' other current attacking options include 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha, Italy forward Federico Chiesa and new signing Victor Munoz.
asserted
options → include → Ngumoha
Barcola has played 28 times for France and scored three goals in this summer's World Cup, including in the 6-4 loss to England in the third-place play-off.
asserted
Barcola → play → off
However, like at club level, his game time was limited because of the skills of his 21-year-old PSG team-mate Doue.
asserted
time → limit → mate
Boss Didier Deschamps stuck with Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembele on the right and rotated Barcola and Doue, with both men starting four of France's eight World Cup matches, but never in the same game.
asserted
men → stick → game
The stats that show Barcola's strengths
asserted
that → show → strengths
At first glance, Barcola looks like the natural successor to Luis Diaz.
asserted
Barcola → look → Diaz
Liverpool chose not to sign a direct replacement after the Colombian's departure last summer, but the underlying data suggests the PSG forward could fill that void.
uncertain
forward → choose → void
Opta's player similarity model rates the Frenchman as the winger whose output most closely resembled Diaz's across Europe's top five leagues in 2025-26 (78%), with Mohamed Salah (65%), Lamine Yamal (61%) and Vinicius Junior (61%) the next closest matches.
asserted
Salah → rat → 2025
A closer look, however, suggests Liverpool would not simply be replacing one winger with another.
uncertain
Liverpool → suggest → another
Barcola is a left winger by trade, having played almost all of his Champions League minutes for PSG on that flank, but his game is shaped by a centre-forward's instincts.
asserted
game → play → instincts
He played as a striker until the age of 17, something reflected in his movement and shot selection.
asserted
He → play → movement
Last season, he averaged 3.5 shots per 90 minutes in Ligue 1, placing him among the division's most active shooters despite operating from wide areas.
asserted
he → average → areas
His 9.83 expected goals (xG) ranked in the 95th percentile among wingers across Europe's top five leagues, meaning only around 5% of wide players consistently found themselves in better goalscoring positions.
asserted
% → expect → positions
Barcola converted those chances into 11 league goals, outperforming his xG, while no PSG player or Ligue 1 winger recorded a higher xG total during the 2025-26 campaign.
asserted
player → convert → campaign
Those instincts are reflected in how he attacks defenders.
asserted
he → reflect → defenders
Barcola was the only player across Europe's top five leagues to average more than two shot-ending carries per 90 minutes (2.06), illustrating his ability to drive at opponents before creating shooting opportunities for himself.
asserted
Barcola → average → himself
He also averaged 8.69 touches in the opposition penalty area per 90 minutes - the seventh-highest figure among more than 1,500 eligible players - reinforcing the profile of a winger who consistently occupies goalscoring positions.
asserted
who → average → positions
His shot map highlights a player who attacks dangerous central areas rather than settling for speculative efforts from distance.
asserted
who → highlight → distance
Only Ousmane Dembele had a better combined shot volume with chance creation in Ligue 1, underlining Barcola's rare ability to both finish attacks and create opportunities for team-mates.
asserted
Dembele → have → mates
While both pose a significant goal threat, Barcola is a more direct ball carrier.
asserted
Barcola → pose → threat
He attempted more take-ons per 90 than the Egypt forward last season (4.26 to 3.38), but created fewer chances (2.16 to 2.33), attempted far fewer crosses (1.15 to 4.89) and through balls (0.25 to 0.59).
asserted
He → attempt → crosses
The numbers point towards a player who looks to eliminate defenders himself rather than orchestrate attacks from wide areas.
asserted
who → point → areas
There are also signs that his game continues to evolve under Luis Enrique.
asserted
game → be → Enrique
Barcola's passing profile across his three Champions League campaigns at PSG has become increasingly focused on progressing play in the final third, reflecting greater tactical maturity.
asserted
profile → become → maturity
Rather than dribbling at every opportunity, he now shows a better understanding of when to accelerate attacks and when to recycle possession.
asserted
he → dribble → possession
His work without the ball is another reason Liverpool's recruitment team are understood to admire him.
asserted
team → understand → him
Barcola ranked ninth across Europe's top five leagues for possessions won in the final third last season, a metric that reflects the aggressive pressing and intensity likely to be demanded under Andoni Iraola.
asserted
that → rank → Iraola
That profile may suit Liverpool's evolving attack.
uncertain
profile → suit → attack
With Wirtz excelling at releasing runners between the lines, and Ekitike and Isak expected to occupy central defenders, Liverpool arguably need another player capable of attacking space rather than demanding the ball to feet.
asserted
Liverpool → excel → feet
Barcola's willingness to make penetrative runs and arrive in goalscoring positions could provide exactly that.
uncertain
willingness → make → that
Perhaps most encouragingly for any prospective buyer, there is reason to believe Barcola has not yet reached his ceiling.
asserted
Barcola → be → ceiling
A late physical developer, he has already transformed from a promising Lyon academy graduate into a two-time Champions League winner with PSG.
asserted
he → transform → PSG
At just 23, his blend of pace, intelligent movement, elite shot volume, relentless pressing and growing creative output suggests one of Europe's most complete young wide forwards is still improving.
uncertain
one → grow → forwards
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
