Liverpool are in advanced discussions to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, with the Merseyside club willing to pay around £100m for the France international. PSG, however, are holding firm at a figure closer to £145m — leaving a significant gap between the two sides.

The potential deal would make Barcola Liverpool's third signing worth £100m or more this summer. The club are expected to pay Bayer Leverkusen up to £116m for midfielder Florian Wirtz, while striker Alexander Isak cost a club-record £125m from Newcastle United in September.

Filling the void left by Salah and Diaz

The pursuit of Barcola comes after Mohamed Salah departed on a free transfer at the end of last season, bringing to a close a nine-year spell in which the Egyptian scored 257 goals for the Reds. Liverpool need reinforcements wide, and the 23-year-old Barcola has emerged as their primary target.

Statistical models support the logic of the move. Opta's player similarity tool rated Barcola as the winger whose output most closely resembled Luis Diaz's across Europe's top five leagues in 2025-26 — a 78% match — ahead of Salah (65%), Lamine Yamal (61%), and Vinicius Junior (61%).

Yet the numbers reveal Barcola is more than a like-for-like replacement. Although he operates primarily on the left wing, his instincts are those of a centre-forward — a product of playing as a striker until the age of 17.

Elite shot volume and pressing intensity

In Ligue 1 last season, Barcola averaged 3.5 shots per 90 minutes and posted 9.83 expected goals (xG), placing him in the 95th percentile among wingers across Europe's top five leagues. He converted those chances into 11 league goals, outperforming his xG, and no PSG player or Ligue 1 winger exceeded his xG total across the 2025-26 campaign.

He was also the only player across Europe's top five leagues to average more than two shot-ending carries per 90 minutes (2.06), demonstrating a rare ability to drive at defenders and manufacture his own shooting opportunities. His 8.69 touches per 90 in the opposition penalty area ranked seventh among more than 1,500 eligible players.

Barcola also contributed to Liverpool's pressing priorities. He ranked ninth across the top five leagues for possessions won in the final third — a metric that aligns with what manager Andoni Iraola demands from his forwards.

World Cup contribution and PSG pedigree

Barcola joined PSG from Lyon in 2023 for a reported £38.5m and has since collected three Ligue 1 titles, two French Cups, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. He came on as a second-half substitute in both of PSG's Champions League final victories — against Inter Milan in 2024-25 and against Arsenal on penalties the following year.

At international level, Barcola scored three times in this summer's World Cup across eight matches for France — including in the 6-4 defeat to England in the third-fourth place play-off — having now earned 28 caps in total.

His playing time at both club and international level has been limited partly by the emergence of PSG team-mate Désire Doué. With Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Doué also competing for wide roles at PSG, a move to Anfield would offer Barcola significantly more consistent game time.

Room to grow at 23

Liverpool's recruitment team are said to be confident that Barcola has not yet reached his ceiling. A late physical developer, he has matured from a Lyon academy prospect into a two-time Champions League winner. His combination of pace, intelligent movement, elite shot volume, relentless pressing, and expanding creative output marks him as one of Europe's most complete young wide forwards — and one still very much in development.