Liverpool weigh £100m move for PSG winger Barcola amid Salah succession planning

Liverpool are preparing a first formal offer for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, with the Anfield hierarchy unwilling to go beyond £100m despite the French club valuing him at about £145m.

The France international has emerged, according to The Athletic, as Liverpool’s sole attacking priority as they plan for life after Mohamed Salah, whose contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Barcola is understood to be pushing strongly for a move to the Premier League and specifically to Liverpool, having made clear his desire to start a new chapter in England and wear the red shirt.

PSG, the reigning European champions, have placed a notional price tag of roughly £145m on the 21-year-old, but Liverpool are unwilling to match what is seen at Anfield as an inflated valuation.

Instead, the Merseyside club are expected to formalise their interest with a bid capped at £100m, banking on the player’s contract situation and his stance over a renewal to strengthen their position in negotiations.

Player’s contract stance key to Liverpool strategy

Sources close to the talks, cited by The Athletic, indicate Liverpool view Barcola’s refusal to extend his current deal – which has two years left to run – as a major leverage point.

The winger is reported to have firmly ruled out signing fresh terms in Paris and is insistent on securing a transfer to Merseyside, a factor Liverpool believe could eventually force PSG to moderate their asking price.

Liverpool’s pursuit reflects the scale of the club’s planning for Salah’s eventual departure, with Barcola seen internally as a long-term successor capable of filling the void left by the Egypt forward in the front line.

Barcola’s impact at PSG

Barcola has underpinned Liverpool’s interest with significant output at club level. Last season he made 49 appearances in all competitions for PSG, scoring 13 goals and contributing seven assists.

He played a decisive role in the club’s double triumph, helping PSG win both Ligue 1 and the Champions League, despite intense competition for his preferred left-wing position from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.

A graduate of Lyon’s academy, Barcola moved to PSG in August 2023. Since then, he has featured 152 times for the Parisian side, scoring 39 goals and providing 37 assists across all competitions.

Those numbers have strengthened Liverpool’s belief that he could be a “like-for-like” replacement in terms of end product for Salah, even though Barcola’s natural position is on the left flank rather than on the right where the Egyptian has excelled.

Coaches and analysts at Anfield are understood to be convinced that Barcola’s profile – his productivity, versatility across the front line and age – makes him a strong candidate to assume Salah’s role on the right, should a deal be struck.

Long-term succession plan

Salah, 32, remains central to Liverpool’s immediate plans, but with his contract winding down at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, the club’s recruitment team have accelerated efforts to identify his heir.

Barcola’s combination of experience and potential has positioned him at the top of that shortlist, to the extent that Liverpool are not currently pursuing alternative wide options while they test PSG’s resolve.

Liverpool now face a test of how far PSG are prepared to hold out for their quoted valuation, and whether Barcola’s determination to join the Premier League club, coupled with his contract running down, will be enough to bridge the sizeable gap between the two sides on price.