Michael Owen Advises Liverpool to Avoid Extortionate Bradley Barcola Deal

Liverpool’s search for a successor to Mohamed Salah has led them to Bradley Barcola. Michael Owen thinks it should also lead them straight back out of the room.

The former Liverpool striker believes the club must resist being dragged into a bidding war with Paris Saint-Germain, who are reportedly demanding around £145 million for the 21-year-old winger. Liverpool, having missed out on Yan Diomande and Michael Olise, have turned their attention to Barcola as they look to rebuild their right flank after Salah’s departure.

Barcola is understood to be open to the move. Reports in France suggest he has already told PSG he does not intend to extend his contract beyond 2028, a stance that has encouraged Liverpool as they push to bring him to Anfield. But PSG’s valuation has thrown a sizeable obstacle in the way.

Liverpool are said to be willing to go to roughly £100 million. PSG want far more. For Owen, that’s the point where logic must beat emotion.

“That sounds extortionate, doesn’t it? For someone that’s not proven in the Premier League,” he told the Liverpool Echo when asked about the £145m figure. “Obviously played at the highest level, but, yeah, at some point you’ve got to say no, haven’t you? If it gets to £145m, I mean, wow, that’s eye-watering.”

Owen has long been clear about the type of profile he would have targeted to replace Salah. He previously argued that Liverpool should have gone all out for West Ham’s Jared Bowen, a player he felt was ready-made for the role.

“I went on record a couple of months ago saying if I was Liverpool, I’d go and try to get Jared Bowen from West Ham to replace Salah. I thought that made a lot of sense,” he said. “But, obviously, that doesn’t look possible anymore, so they’re going to have to.”

The problem, as Owen sees it, is twofold. Liverpool are desperate. And everyone knows it.

“And the problem is everybody knows you’re desperate for a top-class player, so you’re going to have to pay through the nose. That might be just what you have to do,” he admitted, before circling back to the number that keeps sticking in his throat. “But it sounds extortionate, doesn’t it? £145 million, that’s the number that you’re saying.”

Owen also highlighted a wider issue: the shrinking pool of elite wingers available at the top level, and specifically at Liverpool.

“You know, it used to be Salah, and Mane and Diaz,” he said. “There’s so many great wide players [at Liverpool] over the years. And it feels like there’s a dearth of them, of course, now at Liverpool.

“They probably need two. They certainly need one.”

That shortage amplifies the pressure on the club’s recruitment team. Liverpool cannot afford to miss on their next marquee wide player, especially with the tactical and emotional void left by Salah. That, in turn, drives prices up and tempts clubs to overreach.

“So, yeah, I mean, they do probably need to invest heavily in that type of position,” Owen continued. “And he [Barcola] seems to be one that’s available, that’s got the quality. And it sounds like there’s no smoke without fire.

“It sounds like they’d be interested, but a lot will depend on the price, I guess.”

Liverpool’s stance is clear: they are prepared to pay big for Barcola, just not at PSG’s current valuation. PSG’s stance is just as clear: they believe they are holding one of Europe’s most coveted young wingers and will price him accordingly.

Somewhere between those positions lies the answer to a question that could shape Liverpool’s attack for years: do they stretch to secure Barcola now, or walk away and risk watching another target disappear from an already thin market?