Jamie Carragher has expressed concern about the possibility of Liverpool signing Bradley Barcola and identified the area of the squad he believes needs reinforcements. The Reds have identified the Paris Saint-Germain star as a key target as they look to strengthen their forward options this summer.
Transfer valuation and talks
The ECHO reported on Wednesday that Liverpool are expected to open talks with PSG about a deal to sign Barcola, with suggestions that the forward is valued at around £140million. There have been reports that Liverpool would look to strike a deal closer to £100million for the France international, with Barcola having two years left to run on his contract with the back-to-back Champions League winners.
Quiet summer and Salah departure
Liverpool have had a rather quiet summer transfer window so far, with Victor Munoz the only new addition to the forward line, while Jeremy Jacquet has been added to the defensive options. This summer has also seen Mohamed Salah leave the club after nine years at Anfield.
Carragher's verdict
Carragher responded to a question posed by Sky Sports Premier League's Twitter account about whether Barcola could be viewed as a potential replacement for Salah. Carragher wrote: “No, he [Barcola] plays on the opposite flank! Liverpool currently have three players who could play from the left in Rio [Ngumoha]/[Cody] Gakpo/[Florian] Wirtz & no one who plays from the right.”
Carragher then responded to a reply suggesting Ngumoha could be used on the right wing, explaining: “Well Rio has always played from the left so that’s obviously his best position. Gakpo should move really, but who knows, I’m interested to see where Wirtz plays, if he’s 10 Dom [Szoboszlai] plays [central midfield]. I’m not sure about that. Need a right winger desperately!”
Pre-season progress
Liverpool still have several weeks to strengthen their squad until the summer transfer window closes on September 1. The Reds are currently in the United States for their pre-season tour and claimed a 1-0 win over Wrexham in New York in their second fixture of the tour on Wednesday night.
