Liverpool's Pursuit of Akliouche: PSG in Control
Liverpool’s search for the heir to Mohamed Salah has taken them back to the French market – but, for now at least, they are watching a race that Paris Saint-Germain still lead.
The club have already spent big on one wide player, landing Spain international Victor Munoz from Osasuna in a deal worth around €40m. That move, though, was never intended as the full stop on their summer work in the wide areas. Once Liverpool made it clear in March that Salah would be allowed to seek a new challenge, the brief was obvious: restock the flanks with elite, long-term options.
Yan Diomande at RB Leipzig was the first name pushed to the front of the queue. He looked an ideal fit before reports across Europe suggested his heart was set on PSG. Liverpool backed away. Paris moved closer. The pattern is becoming familiar.
Now Maghnes Akliouche finds himself at the centre of a similar tug-of-war.
PSG in control, Liverpool on the fringes
Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas revealed this week that Liverpool have made an initial approach to Monaco to explore Akliouche’s availability. The 22-year-old, who can operate off the right and between the lines, has been on the radar of several top clubs after his breakout season in Ligue 1.
Thomas reported that Liverpool had checked in on a player also being tracked by PSG, underlining that the French champions are heavily involved in the chase.
Yet, despite the noise, the transfer picture is not as advanced from Liverpool’s side as some headlines suggest.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has moved to cool talk of a looming Anfield hijack. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he stressed that Liverpool have not yet launched a concrete bid and that his information “has not changed” on the situation. The key detail is on the player’s preference: Akliouche wants PSG.
According to Romano, Paris Saint-Germain already have an agreement with the winger on the personal side. Talks with Monaco are ongoing, and while there is no final agreement between the clubs, PSG are described as “firmly in control” and working to close the deal as quickly as possible.
The warning is obvious. Until contracts are signed, anything can happen – Romano himself pointed to the recent twist in the Morgan Rogers deal as a reminder of how quickly a transfer can veer off script. But at this stage, Liverpool are not driving this particular saga.
A live option, not a nailed-on target
Inside Anfield, Akliouche sits in a different category: not a fantasy, not a formality, but a live option on a wider shortlist.
The Athletic’s James Pearce, speaking on GiveMeSport’s Market Madness podcast, described the Frenchman as “a possibility, rather than a kind of definite” for Liverpool this summer. Pearce confirmed that there had been an approach earlier in the window and that internal discussions have taken place about the Monaco winger.
He is one of several candidates under assessment as Liverpool weigh up how best to reshape their attack post-Salah. Price will matter. So will profile.
Akliouche, Pearce suggested, would represent a cheaper alternative to Bradley Barcola, another PSG winger admired at Anfield. Any move for Barcola would likely demand a huge fee. Akliouche, by contrast, is expected to cost in the region of €50–60m – still substantial, but more manageable in a summer when Liverpool are trying to refresh rather than completely rebuild.
For now, Liverpool are keeping their options open. They have one new winger through the door in Munoz. They have sounded out Monaco about Akliouche. They are tracking other names across Europe.
PSG, though, hold the cards with this particular player. They have the agreement with Akliouche. They are deep in talks with Monaco. Liverpool, at this stage, are hovering on the edge of a deal that may never properly open up to them.
The question is whether the Premier League club are prepared to wait for the French market to break their way, or whether they will turn decisively to the next name on the list before PSG slam this door shut.
