Liverpool have commenced talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a deal for winger Bradley Barcola, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Frenchman is keen on a move to Anfield after reportedly deciding against signing a new contract with the reigning European champions.
Iraola's priority signing
Andoni Iraola has made signing a winger a priority following Mohamed Salah's departure. Despite the arrival of Victor Munoz from Osasuna, Iraola confirmed a winger is at the top of his shopping list.
"I think it is difficult to say a number," the Spaniard told reporters last month. "When the market is open, you have to be always open to new options to improve the squad."
"There are obvious situations where we need to sign players. Winger for example, we definitely need to sign a winger, but there are other situations where we will have to analyse what the market gives you, what is the cost, how we also see the players we have."
"We have some tricky positions where we have injured players that we trust, but it is still not the ideal situation, so it will depend on a lot of things."
Transfer fee sticking point
The main obstacle in the negotiations is the transfer fee. Liverpool have indicated they plan to make an initial bid of around €100 million (£85.6m), which is reportedly a long way from PSG's valuation of the France international.
PSG line up replacement
While talks are ongoing, PSG appear to have lined up a replacement for Barcola. It has been widely reported that they have agreed a £42.8m (€50m) deal to sign Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco.
The Frenchman is currently on his post-World Cup break but will reportedly undergo a medical with the Ligue 1 champions later this week.
