Liverpool have made Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola their number one transfer priority this summer following Mohamed Salah's departure as a free agent.
Agreement Reports
French publication L'Equipe reported on Tuesday that the former Lyon star reached an agreement in principle with the Reds after holding talks with Andoni Iraola. However, the ECHO understands that Liverpool are yet to open talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a deal.
Valuation and Stance
The ECHO understands that any deal for the skillful winger is expected to cost the Reds north of £100m. However, over the weekend it was claimed that PSG value Barcola at £140m and £145m, and the two clubs were working to reach an agreement. In an interesting twist, The Athletic reported on Tuesday morning that Luis Enrique only wants committed players; therefore, if the club do not secure the desired fee, Barcola may not feature for them next season.
Barcola is believed to have informed the Ligue 1 club that he has no intention of signing a new contract with them. As a result, it has been reported that PSG are considering his sale, but he still has two years left on his contract, and they believe £140 million is a fair reflection of his valuation based on his age, potential, and current market prices.
Quotes
Speaking last year, PSG boss Luis Enrique said: “I have no doubt that he’ll stay our player. We like the fact that our players are interesting other clubs. But he’s one of those young players that we’ve been banking on. I expect him to play here for many more years.”
Speaking last week at a press conference in Chicago, Iraola said: "You have to be always open to new options to improve the squad. There are obvious situations where we need to sign players. A 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."
