Fabrizio Romano: Liverpool and PSG in ‘daily contact’ over Barcola; player is ‘not untouchable’

Liverpool remain in ‘active talks’ with Paris Saint-Germain regarding a potential move for Bradley Barcola, with ‘daily contacts’ being maintained between the clubs, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The 23-year-old has been the Reds’ primary target throughout the summer transfer window, with the Merseyside club reportedly prepared to go as high as £120m for the winger, although PSG’s asking price has been cited at a whopping £145m (TEAMtalk).

The Parisians’ chairman Nasser Al Khelaifi hasn’t shut the door on the possibility of an exit for the France international, stating after the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night (in which the player was an unused substitute) that he ‘can’t say whether he will leave or not’.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside, Romano outlined that discussions are ongoing between Liverpool and PSG over a potential move for Barcola, with the financial makeup of any such deal the biggest obstacle to be overcome at this point.

He said: “Liverpool remain absolutely in active talks with Paris Saint-Germain. The chairman of PSG, Nasser Al Khelaifi, after the Super Cup has confirmed that the player is not untouchable. He stated that we will see what’s going to happen and Liverpool remain in conversations with PSG.

“There are daily contacts for this deal. The player is keen on the move and personal terms are not an issue, so now it’s just about reaching a financial agreement between the clubs.

“It’s not that easy, because it’s going to be a big package, so for sure €110m-€120m [£94m-£102.5m] are not enough to convince PSG, but the conversations continue.

“The player is keen on the move, so for Liverpool, Barcola was, is and will be the top target in the winger position in the next weeks. The conversations are set to continue, more is going to happen, but Barcola remains the absolute desired target for the Reds.”

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Barcola is ready to leave for Liverpool, and PSG could now be amenable to granting him an exit, so the agreement of a fee seems to be the final hurdle to overcome in order for the deal to get done. It’s also the biggest hurdle.

Realistically it’d probably take an outlay in the region of the club-record £125m that the Reds spent on Alexander Isak last year for the European champions to sanction a move for the 23-year-old, although the fate of their own forward pursuits could also be a critical factor.

Luis Enrique’s side are close to agreeing a deal for Barcelona’s Ferran Torres (The Athletic) and set to table another bid for Ajax youngster Mika Godts (Romano). If both are those are signed, the surplus of attackers at the Parc des Princes could prompt PSG to part ways with Barcola.

If Liverpool are serious about trying to land the Frenchman, they’ll surely test the waters with a £100m+ bid soon. We’re almost halfway through August, so the window of opportunity to get the deal done is narrowing all the time.

We expect this pursuit to become turbo-charged in the coming days.