Liverpool's pursuit of PSG winger Bradley Barcola has been given a significant boost following reports that Paris Saint-Germain have moved into the final stages of signing Ferran Torres from Barcelona. French reports indicate the Ligue 1 champions have submitted a €50 million (£42.7m) bid for the Spaniard, with a verbal agreement already reached between the clubs.
PSG's Torres Deal Paves the Way
Torres, who joined Barcelona from Manchester City in December 2021, is now preparing to sign a four-year contract with PSG. This development comes as Liverpool remain in talks with PSG over a deal for Barcola, who is a leading target for the Reds as they seek to add a proven winger to Andoni Iraola's squad before the new season.
However, PSG have placed a valuation of around £145m on the 23-year-old France international, a figure that would set a British transfer record and surpass the £125m Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak last summer.
Iraola's Transfer Plans
Liverpool have already completed the signing of Victor Munoz, but new Reds boss Iraola recently acknowledged the squad has 'obvious' areas to address in the transfer market. Speaking last month, he said: "I think it is difficult to say a number. 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 analyze what the market gives you, what is the cost, how we also see the players we have."
Iraola added: "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."
Defensive Reinforcement
Liverpool have also strengthened their defensive options by signing Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan from Barcelona. The 27-year-old has taken a pay cut to facilitate the move, which includes an option to buy for a pre-agreed fee believed to be £47m. The ECHO understands Liverpool will not pay a loan fee but will cover the defender's wages. Araujo can play at right-back in addition to his preferred central-defensive role.
