Liverpool Finalizes Move for Bradley Barcola: What’s Next for Cody Gakpo?
Liverpool are closing in on a blockbuster move for Bradley Barcola – and the knock-on effect could define Cody Gakpo’s future at Anfield.
Barcola to Liverpool: ‘Here we go’
After weeks of negotiations, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have finally reached an agreement in principle for Barcola, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealing on Thursday morning that the deal is now in its final stages.
Fabrizio Romano has given his trademark “here we go” on the transfer, confirming that the two clubs have settled on the terms and are now moving into the paperwork phase.
“Bradley Barcola to Liverpool is ‘here we go’, deal agreed in principle between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, and now waiting for the documents to be prepared, exchanged and checked by the lawyers,” Romano said on his latest YouTube video.
Once that legal work is complete, Barcola will be cleared to travel for his medical and to sign his contract with Liverpool.
The numbers underline the scale of the move. Liverpool will pay a guaranteed £100m to PSG, with additional bonuses on top. Sources at PSG, Romano reports, are saying they expect to receive around €140m in total when those add-ons are included.
For Liverpool, this is the culmination of a long pursuit. The France international has been a top target for the left wing, a player they have tracked for a long time and originally earmarked for a 2025 move. The club has simply accelerated the plan.
“Liverpool wanted Barcola in summer 2025 and now they’ve got him,” Romano explained, adding that all sides are satisfied: PSG with the fee, Liverpool with landing what they see as one of the best wingers in the world, and Barcola himself, who wanted the move to Anfield.
Everyone happy. Story closed on Barcola – at least on the transfer front.
Spotlight turns to Cody Gakpo
With Barcola on his way, attention now swings sharply to Cody Gakpo.
The Dutchman’s future has been the subject of steady speculation, with Tottenham and now Manchester City both circling. Romano says both Premier League clubs are in “constant contact” to understand the situation around the Liverpool forward.
There is already an agreement in place between Gakpo and Tottenham, according to Romano, while his representatives are also in talks with Man City.
That uncertainty has shaped Liverpool’s wider transfer planning. The club have been exploring options for a second winger should Gakpo leave, testing the market with bids for Yankuba Minteh and making enquiries over Ismaila Sarr, though those approaches have so far been rebuffed.
“What happens now with Liverpool’s second winger after the bids for Minteh, Ismaila Sarr and all the rest? It really depends on what happens with Cody Gakpo,” Romano said.
The equation is simple. If Gakpo moves – to Tottenham or to Manchester City – Liverpool will push to bring in another winger on top of Barcola. If he stays, they are prepared to go into the season with their current attacking group plus the incoming Frenchman.
So the next decisive move is no longer in Paris, but in north London or Manchester. Does Gakpo jump, or does he fight for his place in a Liverpool front line about to be reshaped by a £100m arrival?
