Michael Owen believes Paris Saint-Germain could force Liverpool into an 'extortionate' fee for Bradley Barcola due to a desperation to replace Mohamed Salah. The Reds are on the market for a new winger ahead of September's transfer deadline, as a result of the 'Egyptian King' terminating his contract prematurely.
Salah's departure leaves a void
Salah only signed a new two-year extension last April, but has since seemingly moved onto the next stage of his career with Trabzonspor as a free agent. While the 34-year-old will undoubtedly thrive in the Turkish Super Lig, Liverpool have been left scrambling to attempt to fill the void that Salah has left.
Doing so will be no easy feat considering the impact that the forward has over his nine-year stint at Anfield, racking up 257 goals and 123 assists in 442 appearances - a key part in the club's pair of Premier League titles in 2020 and 2025 and Champions League crown of 2019.
Barcola as priority target
While the likes of Yan Diomande and Ibrahim Mbaye have been tipped as potential successors to Salah, it is Barcola who is thought to be the club's priority this summer. However, a deal will not come cheap for the 23-year-old Frenchman.
Reports suggest that Les Parisiens value the winger at around £145million this summer, despite spending the entirety of his career thus far in Ligue 1. However, Owen believes that PSG could be preying on Liverpool's desperation to secure a world-class talent in the coming weeks, ergo, driving his price up to see just how much they can get for him.
Owen's warning
Under contract until 2028, PSG are in no rush to sell, and can effectively ask for as much as they fit to allow him to leave. However, Liverpool legend Owen believes that his club must refuse to engage any further if the asking price becomes too hot to handle.
Speaking exclusively to the ECHO via Casino.org, who help UK gamblers compare online casinos - the 46-year-old said: "Barcola, he's obviously the big name on everybody's lips. It sounds like he might be available.
"It sounds like he's going to be expensive, though - but they're going to have to make some form of statement signing, of course. You know, it used to be Salah, and [Sadio] Mane and [Luis] Diaz.
"There's so many great wide players [at Liverpool] over the years. And it feels like there's a dearth of them, of course, now at Liverpool.
"They probably need two. They certainly need one. So, yeah, I mean, they do probably need to invest heavily in that type of position. And he seems to be one that's available, that's got the quality. And it sounds like there's no smoke without fire. It sounds like they'd be interested, but a lot will depend on the price, I guess."
Speaking about the potential £145m cost of a transfer, Owen added: "That sounds extortionate, doesn't it? For someone that's not proven in the Premier League.
"Obviously played at the highest level, but, yeah, at some point you've got to say no, haven't you? If it gets to £145m, I mean, wow, that's eye-watering.
"I mean, I went on record a couple of months ago saying if I was Liverpool, I'd go and try to get Jared Bowen from West Ham to replace Salah. I thought that made a lot of sense.
"But, obviously, that doesn't look possible anymore, so they're going to have to... And the problem is everybody knows you're desperate for a top-class player, so you're going to have to pay through the nose.
"That might be just what you have to do. But it sounds extortionate, doesn't it? £145 million, that's the number that you're saying."
