Liverpool Set to Make New Bid for Bradley Barcola Following PSG Signing

Liverpool sense an opening in the chase for Bradley Barcola – and they are moving quickly. The club are expected to submit a new offer for the Paris Saint-Germain winger next week, buoyed by PSG’s capture of Mika Godts from Ajax.

The pursuit has dragged on all summer. Liverpool have been locked in lengthy negotiations as they try to arm Andoni Iraola with another attacking weapon, but talks have repeatedly stalled over PSG’s valuation. The French champions are understood to be holding firm at around £145m, a figure that has tested the resolve of every suitor.

At one stage, Liverpool were close to walking away. Reporting last week indicated the club were preparing to look at alternative targets, tired of hitting the same financial wall.

Then PSG changed the picture.

The Ligue 1 side confirmed the arrival of Godts in a deal that could rise to £47m. The 21-year-old, fresh from a stunning season with Ajax in which he produced 30 goal contributions in 34 Eredivisie matches, has signed a five-year contract and walks straight into an already crowded forward line.

His signing tightens the squeeze on Barcola. The Frenchman has been eager to leave in search of regular starts, stuck behind Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue in Luis Enrique’s pecking order. Now Godts steps into the mix as well, another highly rated wide option competing for the same spaces on the pitch.

The pressure finally tells on the squad list. Barcola did not play a single minute as PSG edged Aston Villa 2-1 in the UEFA Super Cup earlier this week, remaining an unused substitute while fellow summer arrival Maghnes Akliouche started in his place. For a player already agitating for more time on the pitch, the message is clear.

That is where Liverpool see their chance. Reports in France suggest Godts’ move is expected to speed up Barcola’s exit, with Anfield increasingly viewed as the likeliest destination. Inside the club, optimism is said to be growing that a deal can be struck once the fresh bid lands on PSG’s desk.

Arsenal, though, are still in the frame. The Gunners have long admired Barcola and remain interested, but some reports indicate they are reluctant to go anywhere near PSG’s current asking price. If that stance holds, it hands Liverpool a crucial advantage in a two-club race.

Should the transfer go through, Barcola would become Liverpool’s second winger signing of the summer, following Victor Munoz through the door. For Iraola, it would be another step in reshaping his forward line. For Barcola, it might finally be the move that turns sporadic cameos into a starring role.