Liverpool's Bradley Barcola Pursuit Hits a Wall: Arsenal Waiting

Liverpool’s pursuit of Bradley Barcola is threatening to collapse under the weight of Paris Saint-Germain’s demands, opening the door for Arsenal to stalk the deal from a distance.

Liverpool hit the wall

Liverpool identified the France winger as a priority option after Mohamed Salah’s surprise exit to Trabzonspor on a free transfer last week. A huge hole on the right, a fanbase on edge, and a manager working with what has been described as a threadbare squad: Barcola quickly moved to the top of their list.

Talks with PSG have been running for some time. They have not moved very far.

PSG have set their price at around £145million. Liverpool have no intention of going that high. The French champions are refusing to budge, even with Barcola keen to move in search of more minutes. One side won’t climb, the other won’t come down. The gap is obvious, and it is not closing.

With deadline day just three weeks away, Liverpool are now understood to be ready to walk away and switch to alternative targets rather than let the saga drag on while the squad waits for reinforcements.

If they do step back, the story changes quickly.

Arsenal wait in the shadows

Liverpool’s stance has not gone unnoticed in north London. Arsenal, still hunting a marquee addition after failing to lure Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid, are watching the Barcola situation closely.

Vinicius chose to sign a new long-term deal at the Bernabeu, leaving Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy searching for another headline name. They have already brought in Christos Tzolis for the left flank, but the market search has not stopped.

Arsenal are said to hold a real interest in Barcola and are prepared to be patient. If Liverpool officially pull out and PSG’s negotiations open up, the Gunners could move into position and test the French club’s resolve.

Arteta has already made it clear that Arsenal are not finished.

"Well, that's what we're trying to do," he said when asked about further business this summer. "If we have the right player in the market to make us much better, we are very looking forward to that."

For now, Barcola remains a PSG player, Liverpool are edging towards the exit, and Arsenal are waiting to see if one of the window’s most expensive stand-offs breaks in their favour.