Liverpool have been told that a fee of €130-150 million (£111m-£128m) could be enough to see them complete a transfer for Bradley Barcola. The Paris Saint-Germain winger has been a key target for the Reds throughout the summer window.
The club are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements following the exit of Mohamed Salah this summer. The latest reports suggest that Liverpool are expected to make a new offer for Barcola this week.
PSG's asking price and the stumbling block
A stumbling block for Andoni Iraola's side is PSG's £130 million asking price. Should they get close to that, it would see them pay a new British transfer record for a player, beating the £118 million paid by Chelsea for Morgan Rogers earlier in the year.
Liverpool did, however, receive encouragement last weekend when PSG opted to leave Barcola out of the squad for their French Super Cup fixture against Lens. Luis Enrique's squad are now packed with wide players as they gear up to retain their Ligue 1 and Champions League crowns this season.
Feran Torres and Mika Godts have joined French forward Maghnes Akliouche as offensive reinforcements to the team this summer. Appearing on the After Foot podcast, via the Liverpool ECHO, French journalist Fabrice Hawkins has reported that Liverpool could land Barcola if particular requirements are fulfilled.
Verbal proposals and a formal bid
He insists there is no desire at PSG to retain the young talent, but the stumbling block remains his price tag. It is reported that the Reds have submitted verbal proposals, though no formal written bids as yet. It is suggested that the next formal written proposal will be the one that seals the deal. Hawkins maintains that anything in the region of £111m to £128m would prove sufficient.
Barcola netted 13 goals and contributed seven assists in all competitions last season as PSG secured both Ligue 1 and the Champions League titles. And the French forward is not the sole PSG player being touted with a switch to Anfield.
Ibrahim Mbaye and Iraola's plans
Recent reports have suggested that Liverpool may consider lodging a £42m offer for Ibrahim Mbaye. The 18-year-old found the net three times and registered two assists across 29 outings for the Parisian side last season.
Both players would deliver a desperately needed attacking injection for Iraola following the Reds' farewell to Salah. Liverpool have secured the additions of Victor Munoz and Ronald Araujo thus far this summer, but speaking before Sunday's match against Newcastle, Iraola confirmed fresh recruits will arrive.
The 44-year-old stated: "We'll definitely sign players, yes. I hope more than one. The thing is, me as a coach selfishly, I want the players for the first day of pre-season so everyone is ready to go, but also I understand how this works. Some days you have to wait until the end. The important picture is the one we have on September 1 and I hope, because it's true that we are still quite thin, that we can have more help from here until the end of the market."
