Michael Owen Warns Liverpool on Bradley Barcola Deal

Liverpool’s search for a successor to Mohamed Salah has led them to Bradley Barcola – but Michael Owen believes the club should be ready to slam the brakes on the deal if Paris Saint-Germain refuse to budge on their price.

The 21-year-old winger has emerged as a prime target after Liverpool missed out on both Yan Diomande and Michael Olise. Reports in France and England suggest Barcola is open to the move and has already told PSG he does not intend to extend his current contract, which runs to 2028.

A £145m stand-off

PSG are said to be demanding around £145m for Barcola. Liverpool, while clearly serious about the player, are understood to be aiming closer to £100m. The gap is huge. Owen’s view is blunt.

“That sounds extortionate, doesn’t it? For someone that’s not proven in the Premier League,” he told the Liverpool Echo when asked about the £145m figure.

Barcola has Champions League experience and has operated at the sharp end of elite football, but Owen believes there has to be a line Liverpool refuse to cross.

“Obviously played at the highest level, but, yeah, at some point you’ve got to say no, haven’t you? If it gets to £145m, I mean, wow, that’s eye-watering.”

The former Liverpool striker has long been wary of the club getting dragged into an auction they cannot control. He even had a different name in mind months ago.

“I mean, I went on record a couple of months ago saying if I was Liverpool, I’d go and try to get Jared Bowen from West Ham to replace Salah. I thought that made a lot of sense.

“But, obviously, that doesn’t look possible anymore, so they’re going to have to.”

Desperation tax on the Salah void

This is the reality Liverpool now face. Salah’s departure leaves a gaping hole on the right flank – not just in goals, but in presence, gravity, and reliability. Everyone in Europe knows it.

“And the problem is everybody knows you’re desperate for a top-class player, so you’re going to have to pay through the nose. That might be just what you have to do,” Owen admitted.

The market has reacted accordingly. Any club sitting on an elite or near-elite wide forward knows Liverpool are shopping at the top end. Prices rise. Negotiations harden.

“But it sounds extortionate, doesn’t it? £145 million, that’s the number that you’re saying.”

Liverpool’s hope is that PSG eventually soften, especially with Barcola indicating he does not want to commit beyond 2028. For now, though, the French champions are holding firm, and the Merseyside club must decide how far they are willing to stretch their wage and fee structure for a player yet to kick a ball in the Premier League.

A shrinking pool of elite wingers

Owen sees a wider problem too: there simply are not many top-level wide forwards available.

“You know, it used to be Salah, and Mane and Diaz,” he said, reflecting on the era when Liverpool’s wide options were the envy of Europe.

“There’s so many great wide players [at Liverpool] over the years. And it feels like there’s a dearth of them, of course, now at Liverpool.

“They probably need two. They certainly need one.”

That is the crux. Liverpool are not just replacing a legend; they are trying to rebuild a whole attacking profile. One winger may not be enough, and that only increases the pressure on every individual deal.

“So, yeah, I mean, they do probably need to invest heavily in that type of position. And he [Barcola] seems to be one that’s available, that’s got the quality. And it sounds like there’s no smoke without fire.

“It sounds like they’d be interested, but a lot will depend on the price, I guess.”

Barcola ticks many of the boxes: young, technically gifted, comfortable in big games, and seemingly open to the move. The question now is not whether Liverpool rate him. It is whether they are prepared to let PSG dictate the cost of the post-Salah era.