Liverpool set £100m ceiling in bid to prise Bradley Barcola from PSG

Liverpool are preparing a first formal offer for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola but will cap their bid at around £100m – some £45m below the French club’s valuation – as they plan for life after Mohamed Salah.

The 21-year-old France international has emerged, according to The Athletic, as Liverpool’s sole attacking priority, with those at Anfield focusing their efforts entirely on securing his signature from the European champions.

Barcola is understood to be keen on a move to the Premier League and specifically to Liverpool, having made clear his desire to take on a new challenge at Anfield and play under the “Reds” banner.

PSG valuation far above Liverpool stance

PSG have set an asking price in the region of £145m for Barcola, a figure Liverpool have no intention of matching as they look to strengthen their forward line ahead of Salah’s expected departure when his contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Sources close to the talks, cited by The Athletic, say Liverpool plan to formalise their interest with an offer that does not exceed £100m. The Merseyside club believe they hold a strong negotiating position because Barcola has two years left on his contract and is refusing to discuss an extension, while making it clear he wants to leave for Merseyside.

Liverpool hope that stance will put pressure on PSG to lower their demands rather than risk keeping an unsettled player whose contract will continue to run down.

Key figure in PSG’s double-winning season

Liverpool’s push for Barcola is underpinned by his impact for PSG last season. The winger made 49 appearances in all competitions, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists.

He was regarded as a decisive figure in a campaign that delivered both the Ligue 1 title and the Champions League crown for PSG, despite intense competition for his preferred left-wing role from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.

Such numbers have convinced Liverpool’s hierarchy that Barcola has the production and pedigree to take on a major role in their forward line in the medium term.

Success at PSG after Lyon breakthrough

A product of Lyon’s academy, Barcola joined PSG in August 2023 and has since become a regular for the Parisian side. He has made 152 appearances for the club, scoring 39 goals and registering 37 assists.

Although he is naturally a left winger, those statistics have strengthened Liverpool’s belief that he could evolve into a long-term replacement on the right for Salah, whose goals, creativity and influence will leave a significant void when he departs.

For now, Liverpool’s recruitment team are set on testing PSG’s resolve with an opening offer well below the French side’s valuation, betting that Barcola’s contractual situation and determination to move to Anfield will eventually bring the price closer to their £100m ceiling.