New Delhi, Aug 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) Liverpool have agreed a deal worth up to GBP 123m for Paris Saint-Germain striker Bradley Barcola. The Reds have been pursuing the French international to add firepower to the forward line since the departures of Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah over the past two summers.
Barcola has been with PSG since 2023 and is a two-time Champions League winner, a three-time Ligue 1 champion and a two-time French Cup winner. He also featured in the recent FIFA World Cup, where he scored three goals for the French side that reached the semi-finals.
According to a BBC report, Liverpool have agreed an initial GBP 106m deal with GBP 17m in potential add-ons, bringing the total to GBP 123m, which would be a record fee for a player leaving the French top flight. PSG had initially valued Barcola's transfer at GBP 145m, but a GBP 123m deal would not hurt them.
Barcola had his minutes limited at PSG, with the club preferring Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Moreover, he is entering the final two years of his contract with the Reds and does not seem willing to extend his stay.
For Liverpool, though, this will be a shot in the arm. They have seen the departures of Diaz to German club Bayern Munich and of Salah, whose nine-year career with the Reds has ended, as he moved to Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor. Barcola could be cover for Alexander Isak and can add fire to the attack.
Meanwhile, Barcola's potential deal leaves forward Cody Gakpo's future at Anfield in the balance. The BBC reported that the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have shown interest in the Netherlands international. He was selected for Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Newcastle and is also named in the team for Saturday's home clash against Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola said he "cannot guarantee anything" but, understandably, wants to keep the Dutch forward in the team. "[Gakpo] has been very good since he came back from the World Cup and his holiday, with a very good attitude. I hope we can keep him at that level because I think he has been very influential in our games," Iraola said.
Apart from Barcola, Liverpool are also interested in signing wingers Ismaila Sarr from Crystal Palace and Yankuba Minteh from Brighton.
Source: IANS
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz