Liverpool Pursues PSG’s Bradley Barcola After Diomande Decision
Liverpool’s search for the heir to Mohamed Salah has taken a sharp turn towards Paris, with the club moving for Bradley Barcola after Yan Diomande chose to prioritise a switch to Paris Saint-Germain.
Fenway Sports Group had long earmarked Diomande, the RB Leipzig forward shining for Ivory Coast at the 2026 World Cup, as a headline replacement for Salah, who departs Anfield this summer. Liverpool opened talks with Diomande’s camp and positioned themselves early.
Two obstacles have since slammed that door shut.
- Leipzig do not want to sell.
- And the 19-year-old, despite Premier League interest, has made clear he prefers PSG.
So Liverpool have pivoted. Quickly.
Barcola emerges as prime target
Attention has moved to Bradley Barcola, the PSG and France winger who, at 23, already owns a medal collection most players never touch.
Sky Sport Switzerland journalist Sacha Tavolieri reported on June 29 that Liverpool are in direct contact with PSG over Barcola. Posting on X at 12:53pm that day, he revealed that PSG have already held discussions with several clubs, Liverpool among them, regarding the Frenchman’s future and that Diomande’s expected arrival effectively opens the exit door for Barcola this summer.
The pressure from Anfield has not stopped there.
TEAMtalk now report that Liverpool have made fresh contact with Barcola’s representatives this week. Their sources say the club have spoken again with the winger’s agents in recent days and received renewed encouragement: Barcola is preparing to leave the Parc des Princes before the transfer window closes.
That stance will only harden Liverpool’s interest. Barcola is in the France squad at the ongoing 2026 World Cup, his profile rising on the biggest stage while his situation in Paris shifts behind the scenes.
A serial winner with a serious price tag
Since joining PSG in 2023, Barcola has stacked up trophies at a ruthless pace. Three Ligue 1 titles. Two Coupe de France triumphs. Two Champions League wins. He has grown inside a squad built for dominance and learned to live with the pressure that comes with it.
Liverpool see a wide forward used to high stakes, used to expectation, and entering his prime years. A player who can step into a front line that has lost Salah and still expects to challenge for everything.
But there is a cost.
TEAMtalk claim PSG value Barcola at €120 million (£103.3m). That figure mirrors the fee PSG themselves would likely have to pay Leipzig for Diomande. If the French champions land the Ivorian, they will want top dollar for the man pushed closer to the exit.
For Liverpool, it sets up a familiar dilemma: pay elite money for a ready-made star, or walk away and search again in a market that knows they are armed with Salah’s departure and the need to replace him.
The conversations with PSG and Barcola’s camp show which way they are leaning.
