Fabrizio Romano's latest PSG here we go leaves Liverpool one step closer to Bradley Barcola
Liverpool's pursuit of Bradley Barcola has very much entered into saga territory. The Reds' opening bid of around £85 million for the French international has been turned down, with Paris Saint-Germain holding out for closer to £135 million, an astronomical fee. Nevertheless, with Barcola entering the final two years of his contract in the French capital, it does feel as though he will make the move. Well, this apears even more so the case following Friday's news.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, PSG have "reached a verbal agreement" with Ajax over the signing of Mika Godts, adding that a €55 million (around £47 million) fee has been agreed. So, why is this of interest to Liverpool fans? Well, Godts is a 21 year old Belgium international who, crucially, is a left winger.
He has already made four appearances this season, with the Dutch giants forced to come through UEFA Conference League qualifying. The Belgian bagged an assist during both legs of the 8-2 demolition of Vojvodina, before scoring against Shelbourne at the Johan Cruijff Arena the following week. However, Godts was on the bench for this Thursday night's second leg at Tolka Park in Dublin, and might just have made his final appearance for the 36-times Eredivisie champions.
From a Paris Saint-Germain point of view, they are already stacked when it comes to attackers. On Wednesday night, Luis Enrique's side retained the UEFA Super Cup, beating Aston Villa 2-1 in Salzburg, thanks to goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and then Désiré Doué. Les Rouge-et-Bleu also already boast Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembélé, teenager Ibrahim Mbaye and new recruit Maghnes Akliouche, who has joined from AS Monaco for €50 million.
Thus, they could probably afford to let Barcola depart, even if they are driving a hard bargain. Having said that, the 23 year old was hardly a peripheral figure for les Parisiens last season. The winger accumulated 2,971 minutes across six different competitions, making 49 appearances, albeit 14 of those came off the bench.
Looking at the Champions League specifically, because that's all that really matters for PSG, after starting their first 12 European matches last season, he did not feature when Liverpool visited Parc des Princes due to an ankle knock. Thereafter, he came off the bench in all subsequent four fixtures, not starting either final victory over Inter nor Arsenal.
Were Barcola to move to Liverpool, he would instantaneously become an undisputed starter. This does appear to be the best outcome for all involved, with the arrivals of Akliouche and Godts surely only pushing him further down the PSG pecking order.
