Liverpool's Search for Wide Forward Intensifies: Barcola and Minteh Updates

Liverpool’s pursuit of Bradley Barcola is still alive, but it is starting to look like a race they might not control.

The PSG winger has lit up this summer’s World Cup, slotting into a star-studded France attack that has rattled in 16 goals across six games. With a semi-final against Spain looming on Tuesday, Barcola is fighting for a starting spot ahead of club and country teammate Desire Doué.

Once France’s tournament ends, though, the real battle begins.

Barcola: Open to Leaving, Hard to Reach

Behind the scenes, Barcola is understood to be open to leaving PSG. His minutes under Luis Enrique have shrunk, and the French champions are pushing ahead with moves for Yan Diomande and Maghnes Akliouche. Two more attacking signings would crowd the picture further and could push PSG towards a reluctant sale.

Barcola has already pressed pause on contract talks. His current deal runs for just two more years, a detail that usually tempts big clubs to test the waters. Not this time. PSG, sources insist, will demand a fee above the current British transfer record for the 23-year-old, who already has 26 caps for France.

That price bracket immediately narrows the field. Liverpool want him. Arsenal might be closer.

Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele revealed over the weekend that people around Arsenal believe the Gunners are “top of the race” for Barcola if he moves this summer. Arsenal are also keen on Morgan Rogers, and Steele questioned whether they can realistically afford both, but the north London club are viewed as the frontrunners.

The uncertainty is twofold: no guarantee PSG will sell, no guarantee Liverpool can outmuscle Arsenal if they do.

So Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s new sporting director, cannot afford to wait and hope. The club have already been turned down by Diomande. The search for a wide forward has moved on again.

This time, to the south coast.

Minteh Moves Up Liverpool’s List

talkSPORT report that Liverpool are now giving serious consideration to a move for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, a player long tracked by the club.

The Gambian forward has been on FSG’s radar since at least June 2024, when his name first surfaced among potential targets. By the end of that month, he was listed as one of six attacking options under review. Now, according to the latest reports, Liverpool are preparing a more concrete move for the 21-year-old, who has been labelled “lightning quick” and “extremely dangerous”.

Brighton, as always, represent a problem. They sell, but only on their terms. They are open to letting top players go, yet rarely buckle in negotiations and routinely extract maximum value. With talk of Minteh being viewed as a £70m-level option in this market, Liverpool know this will not be a bargain hunt.

Journalist David Lynch, though, believes the fit is worth the fight.

Speaking about Liverpool’s winger shortlist, which also includes Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Said El Mala, Lynch admitted Minteh’s numbers last season were not spectacular. Seven goal contributions – three goals and four assists – in 34 appearances in the 2025/26 campaign is modest for a forward linked with a major move.

Still, Lynch leans towards him.

Minteh, a left-footer operating from the right, already has Premier League experience and, in Lynch’s view, a profile that suits Liverpool more than the raw stats suggest. He argued that Brighton’s style, which often keeps the winger wide and away from central scoring zones, may have limited his output.

Shift him into Andoni Iraola’s system at Anfield, and the picture changes.

Lynch believes Minteh’s numbers would “upscale” under the new Liverpool manager. The Gambia international’s work rate off the ball and strong defensive metrics add another layer of appeal for a side that demands intensity from its forwards.

Barcola Still the Dream – For Now

None of this means Liverpool have given up on Barcola. Far from it.

Lynch made it clear he still sees the PSG man as the standout option, describing the market as “tough pickings” and insisting Liverpool should go and get Barcola “if you can”. If that proves impossible, Minteh, in his view, sits high on the fallback list.

That is the tightrope Liverpool now walk: hold their nerve for an elite, record-fee talent who may choose Arsenal or stay in Paris, or pivot decisively to a younger, less proven but potentially explosive alternative in Minteh at a hefty, but slightly more attainable, price.

All of this plays out against a wider backdrop of uncertainty in Liverpool’s attack.

A “shock” new suitor has reportedly entered the race for club legend Mohamed Salah, with a move to Saudi Arabia or Major League Soccer now viewed as the most likely eventual destination when he does leave Anfield. At the same time, the club’s push to sign a £34m-rated Mexico prospect has hit “complications”, even though contact over a deal has already been made.

Liverpool know the clock is ticking. A new era under Iraola needs clarity in the forward line, not lingering questions.

Barcola remains the marquee dream. Minteh is fast becoming the realistic play.

Which way Hughes goes may define the next version of Liverpool’s front line.