Liverpool Targets Bradley Barcola as Key Signing

Liverpool’s search for a new right-sided spearhead has zeroed in on Bradley Barcola – and Brahim Diaz is waiting in the wings if the chase stalls.

Barcola the headline act

With Mohamed Salah gone and a gaping hole on the right of Liverpool’s attack, Fenway Sports Group are pushing for a marquee winger despite the arrival of Victor Munoz from Osasuna. The brief is clear: a top-level right-winger in his early peak years, capable of walking straight into the starting XI at Anfield.

Bradley Barcola has become that man.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward, fresh from starring for France at the 2026 World Cup, has informed PSG he will not sign a new contract. That stance has turned a long-standing admiration from Liverpool into a serious pursuit.

TEAMtalk journalist Graeme Bailey has described Barcola as Liverpool’s “top target” this summer, underlining how the club have pivoted from their earlier focus on Yan Diomande to the PSG star. Liverpool, he says, have done their homework: they know Barcola’s camp are open to the move, and they understand PSG’s position on his price.

That price is brutal. PSG are said to value Barcola at around £145million, a figure that reflects both his status as one of Europe’s standout young forwards and the power of a seller’s market.

Liverpool, for their part, are preparing a move but want to stay well below that number and beneath their own British-record £125million outlay on Alexander Isak. Whether PSG blink is another matter, especially with Arsenal still firmly in the race.

Barcola, though, has kept the pressure on in Paris. Bailey reports the winger has again told PSG in the past week that he has no intention of signing fresh terms, a stance that could eventually force the French champions into a decision: cash in, or risk losing a major asset on their terms rather than his.

Brahim Diaz on the radar

Liverpool, wary of being dragged into a bidding war they cannot control, are not betting everything on Barcola.

One name high among the alternatives is Brahim Diaz.

The Real Madrid winger, under contract at the Bernabeu until 2027, offers versatility across the frontline. The Morocco international is naturally comfortable on the right but can also operate as an attacking midfielder or from the left, a profile that fits Liverpool’s fluid front-line approach.

His problem lies in Madrid, not in his talent. Under Jose Mourinho, Diaz faces the prospect of limited minutes, with Madrid set to bring in Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig to play on the right flank. With Kylian Mbappe earmarked for the central role and Vinicius Junior locked in on the left, the path to regular starts for Diaz narrows sharply.

That congestion has opened a window.

Bailey reports that Liverpool have Diaz among their right-wing options and have already explored his situation before. His name sits alongside Arda Guler and Endrick as players whose futures could be revisited if Madrid receive suitable offers, particularly once Diomande’s arrival reshapes Mourinho’s attacking hierarchy.

The situation around Vinicius Junior only adds another layer of intrigue. TEAMtalk revealed over the weekend that Liverpool have made contact with the Brazilian’s camp as well, with his contract, like Diaz’s in the context of long-term planning, a live issue for Madrid. It underlines how aggressively Liverpool are scanning the elite end of the market for a successor to Salah.

For now, Barcola remains the priority and the headline. Diaz is the calculated contingency: a proven technician, potentially available at a more manageable fee, whose route to the pitch in Madrid is tightening by the week.

Liverpool know they cannot miss on this position. Whether they break PSG’s resolve for Barcola or prise Diaz from Mourinho’s crowded forward line, the decision they make in the coming weeks will shape the next era of their attack.