Liverpool Pursues Barcola Amid Midfield Concerns
Liverpool’s pursuit of Bradley Barcola is very much alive, despite claims the deal had stalled. Fabrizio Romano has thrown his full weight behind the move, insisting the PSG winger remains a central target as the club rebuilds its attack after Mohamed Salah’s departure.
The Premier League side have already brought in Ronald Araujo, Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz, but the search for a new elite wide forward has led them firmly to Barcola. The 21-year-old is understood to be unwilling to extend his current PSG deal beyond 2028 and is described as being very keen on a switch to Anfield.
PSG have set a huge price tag, demanding around £145m, and reports on Friday suggested Liverpool had “paused negotiations” over both the fee and other strategic reasons. Romano, though, has pushed back hard on that version of events.
On his YouTube channel, the transfer specialist stressed that Liverpool are “still trying for Barcola” and that he is “absolutely all in” on the transfer happening.
He pointed to the arrivals of other players at PSG, explaining there is now an “expectation there could be movements around the situation of Bradley Barcola.” For Romano, the link to Liverpool has never gone away.
“The situation of Barcola remains absolutely linked to Liverpool. I never stopped telling you and I remain absolutely all in on this story, because Liverpool want Barcola,” he said.
He underlined that negotiations are ongoing and that his belief in the move dates back months, even when the winger was widely viewed as “untouchable” in Paris.
“Liverpool are still trying for Barcola. There’s still a gap in financial valuation between what PSG want and what Liverpool offer, but they’re still working for Barcola,” Romano added.
Crucially, the personal side of the deal appears to be in place. Romano claims the financial agreement with Barcola himself is “okay”, with Liverpool and PSG continuing to “keep talking, exchanging messages and discussing for Barcola.”
His conclusion was blunt: “The deal is alive.”
Carragher sounds the alarm: “huge problem” in midfield
While the Barcola chase grabs headlines, one Liverpool great is looking at a very different area of the pitch with growing concern.
Jamie Carragher believes the midfield remains a glaring issue heading into the new season, despite the club’s transfer activity and tactical tweaks.
“The midfield for me is still a huge problem for Liverpool,” he said on The Overlap Fan Debate.
Carragher has dipped in and out of pre-season, but the last two friendlies he watched – against Leeds and Monaco – only reinforced his worries. The same flaw that haunted Liverpool last term, he argues, is still there.
“The problem Liverpool had last season was there was space everywhere in midfield. That has not gone away at all.”
The deployment of Dominik Szoboszlai is at the heart of his concern. Rather than operating as a classic number 10, the Hungary international appears set to line up as a central midfielder, likely alongside Ryan Gravenberch.
Carragher fears that blend is too open, too loose, too box-to-box without enough control.
“It looks like they’re going to play him, rather than as a number 10, almost as a central midfield player alongside Ryan Gravenberch and that is just pure box-to-box,” he said.
Liverpool are pushing hard for a new winger while a club legend is warning of a structural flaw in the middle of the pitch. If Barcola does arrive, the question won’t just be how much he costs, but how well-protected the team behind him really is when the season kicks off.
