Liverpool Pursue Barcola and Mbaye in Late Transfer Window
Liverpool are ramping up their late-window rebuild out wide, with a double swoop on Paris Saint-Germain gathering pace.
Reports in France claim a deal for Ibrahim Mbaye is “progressing rapidly”, while Liverpool prepare a fresh offer for his PSG team-mate Bradley Barcola as Andoni Iraola pushes hard for more firepower before England’s 1 September deadline.
Salah’s shadow and a thin attack
Liverpool’s summer has been weighted towards the back. Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo have arrived to bolster the defence, but in attack only Victor Munoz has come through the door so far, signed after the club triggered his £34.5 million release clause at Osasuna during the World Cup.
For a side that has just lost Mohamed Salah – a modern Anfield icon now at Trabzonspor – that is nowhere near enough. Iraola knows it. The squad knows it. The table will show it if nothing changes.
Alexander Isak, Munoz and teenage livewire Rio Ngumoha form an intriguing core, yet the depth behind them looks alarmingly thin. Hugo Ekitike remains sidelined with a long-term injury, while the futures of Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa at Anfield are uncertain.
The gap has been clear in pre-season. Academy products Lewis Koumas and Will Wright, along with youngsters Trey Nyoni and Ifeanyi Ndukwe, were heavily involved, a nod to the club’s production line but also to the lack of established options.
Barcola earmarked as Salah’s heir
Within that context, Barcola has emerged as the preferred heir to Salah’s right-wing throne. According to RMC Sport, Liverpool are expected to table a new bid for the France international this week as talks with PSG continue.
There is still a distance between the clubs’ valuations. PSG want to be paid for potential as well as present ability; Liverpool are pushing, but not yet at the Parisian asking price. Even so, the Premier League side are described as determined to drive the move forward rather than walk away.
Barcola is not the only PSG winger on their list.
Mbaye deal accelerates
The same outlet reports that Liverpool’s separate pursuit of Ibrahim Mbaye is moving quickly. The 18-year-old, born in France but representing Senegal at international level, has agreed terms on a five-year contract running to 2031, clearing a major hurdle and setting the stage for talks to accelerate between the clubs.
One key obstacle appears to have disappeared. Bayer Leverkusen, seen as serious rivals for Mbaye, are now not expected to continue their chase for the teenager. That leaves Liverpool with a cleaner run at a player they believe can grow into a long-term wide option under Iraola.
The urgency around both Mbaye and Barcola only intensified at the weekend.
Omitted in Paris, wanted on Merseyside
Neither winger made PSG’s squad for Sunday’s French Super Cup defeat to Lens. In a window this febrile, omission speaks loudly. It fuelled speculation that both are being positioned for a move before the market shuts.
Luis Enrique refused to fan the flames. Asked about Barcola and Mbaye after the loss, the PSG coach stayed firmly on script: “I will only talk about the transfer window at the end of the transfer window, not before or after. When the transfer window is closed, I will talk about all the subjects.”
His silence will not quiet the noise around Anfield.
Liverpool need goals, width and a new face to carry the burden on the flanks. With the clock ticking towards 1 September, will Barcola and Mbaye be the pair trusted to step into Salah’s vast slipstream?
