Liverpool Targets Bradley Barcola as Diomande Chooses PSG

Liverpool’s search for the heir to Mohamed Salah has taken a sharp turn, and it now runs straight through Paris.

With Yan Diomande intent on joining Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool have moved quickly to open talks for Bradley Barcola, sounding out both PSG and the France international’s camp over a high-profile switch to Anfield, according to multiple reports.

Diomande dream hits a wall

Fenway Sports Group had identified Diomande as a long-term replacement for Salah, whose departure this summer leaves a gaping hole on Liverpool’s right flank. The RB Leipzig forward has been high on the club’s list for months, his explosive form for Ivory Coast at the 2026 World Cup only sharpening that interest.

Liverpool have already sat down with Diomande’s representatives. The groundwork was laid. The plan was clear.

Then reality bit.

Leipzig are refusing to cash in on their 19-year-old star, and even if they softened, there is a second, more stubborn obstacle: Diomande’s preference for PSG. The player wants Paris. Leipzig don’t want to sell. For Liverpool, the road to Diomande is effectively blocked.

So they’ve turned to the man whose future is now directly tied to that transfer.

Barcola door swings open

Bradley Barcola has suddenly become more than a name on a scouting list. He is an active target.

Sky Sport Switzerland journalist Sacha Tavolieri reported on June 29 that Liverpool are in direct contact with PSG over Barcola. Posting on X at 12:53pm that day, Tavolieri revealed that PSG have already spoken directly with several clubs, Liverpool among them, about the winger’s potential exit.

The key line from his report is telling: Diomande’s transfer “automatically opens the door” to Barcola’s departure. If PSG bring in the Ivorian, the Frenchman becomes expendable. A reshuffle in Paris could become an opportunity on Merseyside.

Liverpool have not waited to see how the dominoes fall.

TEAMtalk now report that Liverpool have made fresh contact with Barcola’s agents this week. Their sources say the club have spoken again with the player’s representatives in recent days and, crucially, received renewed encouragement: Barcola is preparing to leave the Parc des Princes before the transfer window shuts.

For a club trying to replace the output, aura and reliability of Salah, that kind of green light matters.

A serial winner in Paris

Barcola is not agitating to leave a struggling side. He is walking out of the trophy room.

Since arriving at PSG in 2023, the 23-year-old has stacked up major honours at a ruthless pace: three Ligue 1 titles, two Coupe de France wins and two Champions League triumphs. He has learned to live with pressure where failure is not tolerated and silverware is expected, not celebrated as a surprise.

He is also part of the France squad at the 2026 World Cup, a stage that only hardens his profile as a player ready for the highest level.

That pedigree comes at a price.

The €120m question

PSG are not in the habit of selling cheaply, especially to clubs who know what it costs to replace a superstar. TEAMtalk claim the French champions want around €120 million (£103.3m) for Barcola.

The figure is no coincidence. It is effectively the same level of fee PSG would have to pay Leipzig to land Diomande. One in, one out, at roughly the same cost.

For Liverpool, that number represents more than a transfer fee. It is a statement of how far they are prepared to go to rebuild their attack in the post-Salah era, and how much they believe in Barcola as a frontline option rather than a complementary piece.

The talks are live. The player is open to leaving. PSG have set their price.

Liverpool wanted Yan Diomande to usher in a new chapter. They may yet end up with Bradley Barcola instead. The only question now is how much they are willing to gamble to make him the next Anfield headline act.