Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser bin Ghanim Al-Khelaifi has refused to rule out Bradley Barcola leaving the club this summer. Barcola is a leading target for Liverpool as they look to add a proven winger to Andoni Iraola’s squad before the new season.
PSG’s £145m valuation
However, PSG have placed a value of around £145m on the 23-year-old, which would surpass the £125m the Reds paid for Alexander Isak last summer. Barcola played no part in PSG’s 2-1 UEFA Super Cup win over Aston Villa on Wednesday night, even though Luis Enrique used all five of the substitutions available to him.
Providing an update on Barcola’s future after the game in Salzburg, Al-Khelaifi admitted to beIN SPORTS: “We’re working calmly, we don’t talk too much, we do. I can’t say whether he will leave or not. Today, he is a PSG player. We’ll see!”
Enrique’s stance
Goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue ensured the reigning Champions League winners hoisted their second consecutive European silverware in Salzburg. Ahead of the game in Austria, PSG boss Enrique sidestepped a question on Barcola's future.
“I don't know and I don't want to speak about any player individually,” he said when asked about the 23-year-old’s future at the Parc des Princes. “Because it's always dangerous when you are asking something positive or negative about a player. I stay focused on my team.”
Liverpool’s need for a winger
Barcola moved to PSG from Lyon in 2023 for a reported £38.5m and has since also won three Ligue 1 titles, the French Cup twice, as well as the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Liverpool have already completed the signings of Jeremy Jacquet, Victor Munoz and Ronald Araujo, but new boss Iraola admitted his side definitely needs to sign a winger this summer. “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,” Iraola said. “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.
“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.”
