Liverpool Ready Opening Bid for Annoyed PSG Winger Barcola

So, Salah's gone. Who's next? Apparently, the Reds have finally landed on 23-year-old France international Barcola as their top target. Sky Sports tells us he's been on their 'radar' for years. Maybe they should've acted sooner.

Barcola himself isn't exactly thrilled with his PSG lot. He's reportedly refusing to extend his contract, fed up with bench-warming in big games. He's tied down until 2027. The pull of Anfield, though? Yeah, that's supposedly got his attention.

PSG snapped him up for a modest £40m back in 2023. What a steal. Now? Not so much. The price tag has shot up like a rocket. Sky Sports first put PSG's demand at a truly eye-watering £145m (€170m). Other whispers now say they might settle for 'just' £128.5m (€150m). Quite the profit margin, wouldn't you say?

Liverpool's new boss, Andoni Iraola, likes wingers. Shocking, I know. He built some pretty effective attacking setups at Bournemouth and Rayo Vallecano, all about pace and sheer intensity from the flanks. Barcola? He's got those bits. He's even got a shiny resume: two Champions League titles in two years, plus nine other major trophies. Sounds great on paper.

But don't let the trophy cabinet fool you. His role in Paris has shrunk. Big time. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia rocked up from Napoli in January, promptly cemented himself as the go-to left winger. That pushed Barcola straight to the bench. Including both Champions League finals. Ouch.

Oh, and Arsenal? They're sniffing around too, watching the whole circus closely. But here's the real kicker: this whole thing rides on whether PSG decides to be reasonable about that frankly absurd asking price. Good luck with that.