Liverpool's Barcola Pursuit Is Stuck Behind PSG's Own Transfer Business

Liverpool's plan to replace salah" class="entity-link entity-link--player">Mohamed Salah currently runs through Paris, and it isn't moving. The Reds want Bradley Barcola from Liverpool's target club Paris Saint-Germain, but talkSPORT's Ben Jacobs says the club cannot even begin serious talks until PSG complete their own incoming winger business first.

That leaves Liverpool watching from a distance while PSG chase Yan Diomande and possibly Maghnes Akliouche, with no guarantee either deal happens, let alone that it triggers a Barcola exit. Brighton's Yankuba Minteh has been floated as a fallback option, but by Jacobs' own account there is 'nothing developing' there. This is a speculative chain with Liverpool at the wrong end of it.

Why Replacing Salah Has Made Barcola Liverpool's Priority Target

Salah's expected departure leaves a void that goes well beyond one position on the pitch. He has been Liverpool's most reliable source of goals and creativity for close to a decade, and no like-for-like replacement exists in the current squad. That is why the club has fixed on Barcola, a 22-year-old France international who can operate off either flank and already has three goal contributions for France at the World Cup.

A World Cup shop window working against Liverpool

Barcola's tournament form is only sharpening PSG's reluctance to sell. A player scoring and creating at a World Cup is not one a European champion club wants to lose cheaply, and PSG's stance, according to Jacobs, remains that Barcola is 'not for sale' right now. Liverpool's interest is real, but it exists in a market where the seller has no urgency to negotiate.

The PSG Domino Effect: Why Liverpool Can't Move Yet

PSG are mid-reshuffle across their entire wide forward line, and Barcola's future is tied to how that reshuffle plays out. Lee Kang-in is already headed to Atletico Madrid, and teenage winger Ibrahim Mbaye may also leave this summer. Barcola would be by far the biggest departure of the three, and PSG are not going to sanction it without lining up his replacement.

Jacobs lays out the sequence

Liverpool had initially eyed Diomande themselves before he made clear he prefers a move to PSG instead, effectively removing one of the Reds' alternatives while simultaneously becoming the key that could unlock Barcola.

"Part of the delay from Liverpool is they now need to watch Yan Diomande and PSG play out, and very possibly Maghnes Akliouche as well," Jacobs said on The Window. "If PSG get one or both of those names, the door might still be open for Bradley Barcola to leave, even though PSG's stance at the moment is not for sale."

In other words, Liverpool need two things to happen in sequence before they can even open talks: PSG must land a replacement winger, and only then might Barcola's price and availability shift. Neither is confirmed.

Arsenal's Interest and the Fight for Barcola

Even if PSG's dominoes fall in Liverpool's favour, they may not be the only Premier League club at the table. Arsenal's top target this summer is Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa, but Villa are said to be holding out for a fee as high as £130million.

A pivot that changes the market

Should Arsenal balk at that valuation, Jacobs' reporting suggests they could pivot straight to Barcola as their alternative. That would pit the reigning Premier League champions directly against Liverpool for the same player, adding another layer of uncertainty to a deal that already depends on events in Paris.

• Arsenal's primary target: Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa, valued around £130m)
• Liverpool's primary target: Bradley Barcola (PSG, currently 'not for sale')
• Shared risk: Both clubs could end up chasing Barcola if their first-choice deals stall

Where Minteh Fits Into Liverpool's Contingency Plans

This is the part of the story that has generated headlines but deserves the most scepticism. Minteh's name has come up in Liverpool's discussions, but Jacobs was explicit that there is nothing developing on that front as things stand.

One name among several, not a shortlist leader

Minteh sits alongside Said El Mala and Matias Fernandez-Pardo as names Liverpool 'really like', but all three are contingency options rather than active targets. The El Mala saga is a useful warning of how messy these deals can get. Brentford came close to signing the Koln winger before the deal collapsed, partly because his family wanted his brother signed as part of the package. BILD reported the total cost of that deal would have been roughly £43million.

Jacobs also flagged that Liverpool may not confine their business to the wing at all. "I still expect Liverpool to be busy and

Business already done this summer

Liverpool have not been passive elsewhere. Jeremy Jacquet has completed his move from Rennes in a deal worth up to £60million, agreed back in January, and the club hijacked Newcastle's interest in Spain international Victor Munoz by triggering his £34million release clause. Neither signing solves the Salah problem directly, but both confirm Liverpool are willing to spend and move quickly when a deal is actually there to be done.

What happens next

The immediate trigger to watch is Diomande's move to PSG. If that deal closes, and Akliouche follows, Liverpool will finally get clarity on whether Barcola becomes obtainable this summer or whether PSG simply absorb him into a reshaped attack regardless.

Arsenal's next move on Morgan Rogers matters just as much for Liverpool as anything happening in their own camp. A collapsed Rogers deal would sharpen competition for Barcola overnight and could force Liverpool to decide quickly rather than wait out PSG's timeline.

Until then, expect Liverpool's alternative names, Minteh, El Mala and Fernandez-Pardo, to keep surfacing in speculation without any of them becoming genuine negotiations. The bigger story remains unresolved: Liverpool still do not have a plan that replaces what Salah actually did for this team, and that gap will not close until the Barcola chain either breaks or delivers.