Former Arsenal forward Perry Groves has claimed he’s been told Bradley Barcola 'wants to live in London' as Liverpool continue to hold talks with PSG over a deal for the attacker.
Liverpool's pursuit of Barcola
Barcola is a leading target for the Reds as they look to add a proven winger to Andoni Iraola’s squad before the new season. However, PSG have placed a value of around £145m on the 23-year-old, which would eclipse the £125m paid to Newcastle United for Alexander Isak last year.
Barcola has two years left on his contract at Parc des Princes, and the French champions had been keen to tie the attacker to a new contract. However, after receiving encouragement that Barcola would be interested in moving to Anfield, Liverpool hope to strike a deal with the reigning Champions League champions.
Groves' London claim
But Groves, speaking on talkSPORT, believes his old club boasts an advantage over Liverpool in the race to sign Barcola. He said: "I've got a source that says he wants to live in London. I can't tell you [who], I can't divulge my sources. I've got a source. I've got a mole. Barcola wants to live in London."
Before he added: "I've got no dog in the fight, but I would say the Gooners because Liverpool are a team that are in transition. Andoni Iraola going in there, imposing his own philosophy, his own style with all the new signings coming in."
Iraola's transfer comments
Asked about if he had a number of how many players he needs to bring in in the remainder of the transfer window, Iraola said last month: "No, I think it’s difficult to say a number when the market is open, and you have to be always open to new options to improve the squad.
"There are obvious situations that we know where we need to sign players. A winger, for example – we definitely need to sign a winger. But there are other situations that we will have to analyse what the market gives you, what’s the cost, how we also see the players we have."
"We have some tricky positions where we have injured players that we trust but is still not the ideal situation. So, it will depend on a lot of things."
