Liverpool Finalize Deal for Bradley Barcola: Impact on Cody Gakpo's Future
Liverpool are closing in on a blockbuster deal for Bradley Barcola – and the domino effect could reshape Cody Gakpo’s future at Anfield.
Barcola: Liverpool land their top wide target
The chase has dragged on for weeks, but Liverpool have finally got what they wanted. According to David Ornstein, the Reds have reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain for Barcola, with the move now in its final stages.
Fabrizio Romano has already delivered his trademark seal of approval. On his latest YouTube video, the Italian transfer specialist confirmed his “here we go” for Barcola to Liverpool, outlining the framework of a deal that has been brewing behind the scenes.
Liverpool, who have tracked the France international for a long time and made him their priority for the left flank, will pay a guaranteed £100m. PSG sources, Romano reports, are expecting around €140m once add-ons are triggered. Serious money. Serious intent.
The agreement in principle between the clubs is in place. The next steps are procedural: documents drafted, exchanged, checked by lawyers. Once that legal traffic clears, Barcola will be authorised to travel for his medical and to sign his Liverpool contract.
This is no late surprise inside the corridors of power. Romano stressed that Liverpool always kept the Barcola option alive, even when voices in England and France insisted PSG would not sell or floated outlandish figures such as €170m. Liverpool, he says, had earmarked Barcola initially for summer 2025. The chance came early. They pounced.
PSG get a huge fee. Liverpool secure a winger they believe is among the very best in the world. Barcola gets the move he wanted. All sides, according to Romano, are satisfied. Story almost closed – at least on that front.
The Gakpo question
One story ends, another opens.
Barcola’s imminent arrival sharpens the spotlight on Cody Gakpo. The Dutchman has been the subject of constant speculation this summer, with Tottenham and now Manchester City circling.
Liverpool have not treated Barcola as the only wide addition in their planning. They have already tested the market for another winger in case Gakpo moves on, seeing bids rejected for Yankuba Minteh and making enquiries for Ismaila Sarr. The recruitment department has clearly been working with multiple scenarios in mind.
Romano’s update cuts to the heart of it: what Liverpool do next in wide areas hinges almost entirely on Gakpo.
If Gakpo leaves, Liverpool will go again for a second winger. If he stays, they are prepared to go into the season with the current group plus Barcola.
Tottenham, Romano says, have an agreement with Gakpo, while his agents are also in talks with Manchester City as both clubs try to understand the conditions of a potential deal. The interest is real, the conversations ongoing. The decision point is approaching.
For Liverpool, the picture is brutally simple. Barcola is coming. The rest of their wide rebuild now rests on one call: does Cody Gakpo walk away from Anfield for a leading role elsewhere, or fight for his place in a forward line about to welcome one of Europe’s most coveted wingers?
