It’s official: One major domino has fallen as Liverpool handed Bradley Barcola transfer boost
Liverpool’s hopes of signing Bradley Barcola may just have been handed a significant boost after the confirmation of news from France on Saturday morning.
As reiterated by Fabrizio Romano on Friday, Anfield chiefs remain in ‘daily’ negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain over a potential transfer for the 23-year-old, who’s understood to have agreed personal terms with the Reds already.
The hard part, of course, will be the agreement of a fee between the two clubs, with the Merseysiders reportedly prepared to go as high as £120m but PSG holding out for an eye-watering £145m (TEAMtalk).
Liverpool given Barcola boost as PSG confirm Ferran Torres signing
On Saturday morning, the Champions League holders confirmed (via their official website) that they’ve completed the signing of Ferran Torres from Barcelona on a five-year deal.
The scorer of Spain’s winning goal in the World Cup final last month has joined PSG for a reported fee of £42.7m, according to The Athletic, becoming their second major attacking addition this summer after the recent capture of Maghnes Akliouche from AS Monaco.
Could PSG now be more inclined to sell Barcola?
While the signing of Torres isn’t formally connected with any prospective sale of Barcola, it nonetheless feels as though a major domino may have just fallen in Liverpool’s pursuit of the France international.
The Spaniard’s arrival at the Parc des Princes has left Luis Enrique with an even more formidable embarrassment of attacking riches, with seven senior players now competing for just three starting berths in Luis Enrique’s forward line.
PSG forwards as of 15 August (alternative positions in brackets)
| Left wingers | Centre-forwards | Right wingers |
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (RW, SS) | Ousmane Dembele (LW, RW) | Desire Doue (AM, LW) |
| Bradley Barcola (RW, CF) | Ferran Torres (LW, RW) | Maghnes Akliouche (AM) |
| Ibrahim Mbaye (LW) |
How on Earth does the PSG head coach manage to satisfy the game-time cravings of each of those without allowing one or two to depart? Their frontline recruitment mightn’t be done there, either, with the European champions reportedly reaching a verbal agreement to sign Mika Godts from Ajax.
Barcola started most of his club’s Champions League games last season but may find it considerably harder to do so in 2026/27, considering the abundance of attackers at Enrique’s disposal.
The onus is still on Liverpool to come forward with an offer which’d be acceptable to PSG, but Torres’ arrival at the Parc des Princes definitely increases the scope for the Ligue 1 giants to part with one or more of their current forwards, most notably the 23-year-old Frenchman.
