Liverpool's Search for Salah's Successor: Barcola Emerges as Top Target
Liverpool are bracing for life after Mohamed Salah, and their winger shortlist has taken a sharp turn towards Paris.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola has emerged as one of the leading alternatives Liverpool are weighing up, with their primary wide target Yan Diomande now closing in on a move to the French champions.
Diomande slipping away
Liverpool had placed 19-year-old Diomande at the top of their attacking wishlist, identifying the RB Leipzig winger as a marquee successor to Salah. They went as far as tabling a bid worth £86m for the Ivory Coast international.
Leipzig want more. A lot more.
Liverpool have refused to climb higher, wary of being dragged into a bidding war that would blow apart their valuation. That stance has opened the door for PSG, who are deep in negotiations with Leipzig after Diomande signalled his preference for the Ligue 1 giants, fresh from their Champions League triumph.
Luis Enrique’s side already have a contract lined up for Diomande running until 2031, but the agreement between clubs is not yet done. The direction of travel is clear, though: unless something drastic changes, Diomande will not be running out at Anfield.
So Liverpool pivot. And their gaze lands on Barcola.
Barcola on the brink
Barcola’s name has been on Liverpool’s radar for some time, but his situation in Paris now makes him a live, realistic option.
The 23-year-old winger is unsettled. His frustration has grown after being overlooked for the biggest nights of PSG’s season, most notably the Champions League final win over Arsenal. For a player of his age and ambition, watching rather than influencing those moments cuts deep.
Earlier this month, it emerged that Barcola could push for a move if his role does not change by the time he returns from the World Cup with France. PSG’s stance is nuanced: they want to keep him, yet they will not block an exit if he decides he wants out and a club pays what they believe he is worth.
There will be no bargain. With two years left on his contract, this is precisely the point at which PSG can either secure an extension or cash in at a premium. Letting him drift towards the final 12 months without clarity is not on their agenda.
Liverpool, searching for a dynamic wide player who can grow into a central role in their attack, see opportunity in that tension.
Liverpool’s rebuild without Salah
The scale of the change at Anfield this summer is stark. Mohamed Salah has gone. Andy Robertson has joined Tottenham on a free. Ibrahima Konate has departed for Real Madrid, also on a free, while Rhys Williams has been released.
The recruitment drive has already started. Jeremy Jacquet has arrived from Rennes for £60m, and winger Victor Munoz has been signed from Osasuna for £34.5m. Those deals underline that Liverpool are not tinkering; they are reshaping the spine and edges of the squad.
Replacing Salah, though, is different. It is not just about goals and assists. It is about presence, reliability, the certainty of threat from that right side. Liverpool cannot simply plug that gap with one signing and move on.
Diomande was earmarked as the flagship addition in that area. With PSG now in pole position, Barcola becomes far more than a name on a long list. He becomes a test of Liverpool’s conviction in their new recruitment strategy.
Arsenal watching, but looking elsewhere
Liverpool are not alone in monitoring Barcola. Arsenal have also tracked the PSG winger, aware that his situation could ignite the market later in the window.
For now, though, their focus on the left wing lies closer to home, with Morgan Rogers at Aston Villa viewed as the priority target in that area. That gives Liverpool a cleaner run at Barcola, provided they decide to move decisively and PSG’s valuation does not trigger the same hard stop they hit with Leipzig over Diomande.
The dynamics are clear. PSG would like to keep Barcola but will sell at the right price. Liverpool need a winger of genuine top-level potential. The player wants a bigger role than the one he has been given in Paris.
Something has to give.
Liverpool have already drawn one line in the sand this summer by refusing to meet Leipzig’s demands for Diomande. The next question is simple: will they push harder, and spend bigger, to prise Barcola out of Paris and into the space Salah has left behind?
