The Sports Guru
Liverpool have agreed to pay up to £123m for Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola, but the fee is only half the story. Read on to understand why the deal squeezes Cody Gakpo out of the picture, what gap it still leaves open on the right flank, and why PSG are content to sell a player they signed for a fraction of the price.
Barcola's £123m Move to Anfield Leaves Gakpo's Future Hanging in the Balance
Liverpool have agreed a deal worth up to £123m to sign Bradley Barcola from Paris St-Germain, closing out a chase that has run for most of the summer. PSG had wanted £145m for the France forward, but Liverpool held their ground and eventually got him for £106m guaranteed plus £17m in add-ons. The 23-year-old is due to have a medical this weekend before putting pen to paper on a long-term Anfield contract. Yet the size of the fee is not really the headline here - what the deal does to Cody Gakpo's place in Andoni Iraola's plans might be.
The Numbers Behind the Deal
PSG opened talks at £145m for their France international, a number that looked built to shut down negotiations rather than start them. Liverpool refused to match it during the summer window, and the structure they eventually agreed - £106m up front with a further £17m available in add-ons, capping the deal at £123m - shows how far that initial demand shifted. Even so, it remains a heavy outlay. Per BBC Sport's analysis, the transfer could stand as the most expensive departure from Ligue 1 by a player, and it lands on top of the money already committed last summer to Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
What Barcola Actually Brings
Barcola is naturally right-footed yet is most comfortable out on the left, though BBC Sport notes he can also play on the right or through the middle. That range suits a Liverpool side that has lacked attacking depth since both Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah departed in successive summers. His CV at PSG is stacked: three Ligue 1 crowns, two Champions League triumphs, a pair of French Cups, plus the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup. He added three World Cup goals for France this summer too. Lyon sold him to PSG for a reported £38.5m back in 2023 - meaning that, add-ons included, PSG stand to more than triple that fee inside three years.
The Gakpo Question
Barcola is fundamentally a left winger, and Liverpool already field one in Cody Gakpo. BBC Sport reports that Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have both shown interest in the Dutch forward, and Iraola faced a direct question about Gakpo's future ahead of Saturday's meeting with Nottingham Forest. His response offered caution rather than certainty: he said he "cannot guarantee anything" but hopes to keep the 27-year-old, praising him as "very good since he came back from the World Cup and his holiday, with a very good attitude."
That is not language that suggests total confidence in the squad's shape. It sounds more like a manager softening the ground while a costlier arrival closes in on the same spot on the pitch. Regardless of what Iraola personally wants, Barcola's medical this weekend shifts the balance on Liverpool's left side, and Gakpo is left with admirers circling and no promises from his own manager.
A Right-Wing Gap Still Open
Signing Barcola does not finish Liverpool's summer business. BBC Sport reports the club remain interested in a right winger, having looked at Brighton's Yankuba Minteh and Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr. Barcola could, given his versatility, fill that role himself, but his natural preference for the left implies Liverpool still view it as a separate requirement. A fee approaching £123m for one position rarely resolves an entire attacking rebuild, and here it plainly has not.
Why PSG Are Satisfied Too
This is not purely a case of Liverpool winning the negotiation. BBC Sport's analysis presents it as workable for PSG too. Barcola had slipped behind Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the pecking order for the biggest matches last season, and PSG have since brought in Maghnes Akliouche and Mika Godts to strengthen those wide areas. Letting go of a player who had given no indication he would extend his contract, and who had only two years left on it, for up to £123m looks less like a forced sale and more like good timing.
The Bigger Picture at Anfield
BBC Sport's analysis suggests Barcola could become Liverpool's third arrival above £100m, joining Isak and Wirtz from last summer. The reasoning is simple enough: if Isak and Wirtz keep progressing, a front line completed by Barcola could turn into one of the Premier League's most dangerous. There's a practical side too - with Hugo Ekitike sidelined by a serious Achilles injury, Barcola's ability to play through the centre as well as wide gives Iraola options just as his choices were thinning out. Whether all of this produces a settled attack or just a pricier version of the same puzzle will depend on how fast Barcola, Isak and Wirtz click - and on what becomes of Gakpo along the way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Liverpool have agreed an initial £106m fee with a further £17m available in add-ons, putting the maximum value of the deal at £123m, below PSG's opening valuation of £145m.
Barcola is set for a medical this weekend before signing a long-term deal at Anfield, according to BBC Sport.
Barcola's arrival sharpens doubts about Gakpo's future. Iraola said he "cannot guarantee anything" about keeping him, and BBC Sport reports both Tottenham and Manchester City are interested.
Not on its own. Barcola prefers the left, and Liverpool are reported to still be considering right-wing options such as Brighton's Yankuba Minteh and Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr.
Barcola had fallen behind Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in PSG's rotation last season, had not agreed to extend his contract, and had two years left on it - factors BBC Sport's analysis says made selling for up to £123m an attractive outcome for PSG.
Research: This article uses the archived evidence supplied for this story. Story inspiration: BBC Sport's original report.