Liverpool are preparing a formal offer worth £85 million to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, according to French journalist Sébastien Vidal.
The 23-year-old arrives at the top of Liverpool’s transfer wishlist after a stunning summer that saw him shine on the biggest stage at the World Cup.
Barcola was part of France’s fearsome attacking unit that scored 20 goals in the tournament, a joint-record alongside England for the most goals in this year’s competition.
Individually, he contributed three goals and one assist across seven appearances, including featuring in the ten-goal thriller against England in the third-place playoff.
He finished the tournament averaging 2.34 shots per game and 1.88 big chances created, underlining his constant threat to opposition defences throughout the competition.
His World Cup exploits came on the back of a strong club campaign with PSG, where he contributed 13 goals and seven assists despite playing second fiddle to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The winger also collected a third successive Ligue 1 title and back-to-back UEFA Champions League winners’ medals with the Parisian club last season.
Described as “crazy fast” by Hugo Ekitike, Barcola would bring explosive pace, creative flair, and a reliable goalscoring threat to Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool attack.
His underlying numbers back up that reputation, with Barcola averaging 0.53 goals per 90 minutes last season, placing him in the 93rd percentile among Ligue 1 wingers.
He also averaged 1.54 shots on target per 90 minutes, a figure that places him in the 92nd percentile among players in his position across the league.
His ability to isolate defenders and threaten on the counter-attack makes him a strong stylistic fit for the system Iraola has implemented at Anfield since taking charge.
Liverpool come into this transfer window as reigning Premier League champions and are clearly keen to strengthen their attack with elite-level wide options.
Vidal reports that the Merseyside club are now stepping up their efforts and readying a formal £85 million proposal to put to PSG in the coming days.
Whether that figure will be sufficient to prise one of Europe’s most exciting young wingers away from the French champions remains the key question of this potential deal.