Liverpool’s pursuit of Bradley Barcola is set for another dramatic twist within the next 48 hours.
The Reds have reportedly agreed personal terms with the Paris Saint-Germain winger on a five-year deal at Anfield. What remains is the hard part: persuading the Champions League holders to accept a fee. PSG’s asking price sits at £128m, and Liverpool have yet to table a package that meets it.
Luis Enrique’s side open their official campaign on Wednesday night against Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg. Barcola’s participation, however, is suddenly in doubt.
A respected source on X claimed on Tuesday morning that the 23-year-old “could pull out of” the fixture “at the last second” because of “illness” — the quotation marks around the word doing heavy lifting. A decision is expected soon and “could go either way,” with the official team news due 75 minutes before kick-off.
Barcola may simply be unwell. In the current climate, though, few will take the explanation at face value. Fabrizio Romano has already reported that the forward has given the “final green light” on personal terms with Liverpool. Any late withdrawal from the Super Cup will therefore be viewed through the lens of a possible exit, intensifying the speculation that a move to Anfield is accelerating.
Even if Liverpool and PSG can bridge the financial gap, a separate obstacle remains. Data analyst Michael Reid has noted that the arrival of Ronald Araújo on loan from Barcelona has taken the club to its maximum quota of non-homegrown players. Signing Barcola would almost certainly require a senior departure to free up a squad place. With three weeks of the window still remaining, that is not an impossible task — but it is another moving part in an already complex deal.
All eyes now turn to the PSG team sheet on Wednesday night. Whether No. 29 is named or not will say a great deal about how close this transfer really is.
