Liverpool's Pursuit of Mbaye and Barcola: A Complex Situation
Liverpool are scouring Europe for one more attacking spark, but the picture around PSG prospect Mbaye is far less advanced than it first looked.
Linked heavily with a double swoop on Paris, Liverpool were said to be moving in tandem for Mbaye and his teammate Barcola. The reality, according to French journalist Romain Molina, is more nuanced. Mbaye is admired. He is being watched. But he is not the man at the top of the list.
“Truthfully, Mbaye is on Liverpool’s shortlist but not as the No. 1 choice,” Molina said, underlining that the club’s recruitment focus has shifted as the window heads into its final days.
Mendes factor complicates Mbaye chase
The tug of war around Mbaye is not just about Liverpool and PSG. It is also about Jorge Mendes.
Molina stressed that the forward’s next move could hinge less on a direct push from Anfield and more on how Mendes plays the market in the final stretch of the window. The super-agent, he suggested, is prepared to lean on his network at clubs where his influence is strongest to manufacture an opening for his client.
“Mendes knows very well that at the end of the transfer window there will be something for Mbaye, so he will use the clubs where he has the most influence to make things move,” Molina explained.
That dynamic sits awkwardly with Liverpool’s stance. Mendes does not hold his greatest sway at Anfield, and PSG’s demands are high. It is a combination that leaves the deal finely balanced, and certainly not a priority.
“That’s not where he’s most influential, especially with the price currently being asked by Paris Saint-Germain,” Molina noted.
Barcola the priority
While Mbaye’s name lingers in the background, Liverpool’s gaze has turned more sharply towards Barcola.
The Reds are understood to be prioritising the winger, whose camp operates in a very different way to Mendes. Barcola is represented by Moussa Sissoko, and Molina drew a clear line between the two agents’ approaches.
“That’s where you see the difference between the two agents,” he said. “For Mendes it’s not so much the player’s wishes that count, it’s where he has connections with the executives to make things move how he wants. With [Sissoko] it’s the opposite. Even if it means clashing with clubs, even if it means going hard. He wants to go to war for his players.”
For a club that has often tried to align its signings with player ambition and clear sporting projects, that contrast matters. Barcola fits a cleaner profile: a priority target, a representative ready to push hard on the player’s wishes, and a path that is not dominated by Mendes’ power-broking.
The catch is the same as ever. Price.
PSG are expected to demand a combined fee of more than £150m for the two youngsters. That sort of outlay would reshape any club’s plans, even one of Liverpool’s stature.
Alternatives lined up
If Mbaye proves too costly or remains stuck behind others on the shortlist, Liverpool are not short of fallback options.
Their scouting department has been tracking Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Bournemouth’s Rayan as possible wide additions. All three offer different profiles, all three would come with their own negotiations and complications, but they underline one thing: Liverpool are not locked into a single name.
Another candidate has emerged in recent weeks: Köln’s Said El Mala. The versatile forward can play on either wing or through the middle, and had been linked with Borussia Dortmund earlier in the window. That route appears to have closed.
Reports from Sky Germany say Dortmund have now stepped away, a development that could open the door for Liverpool if they choose to act. El Mala has a reported €50m (£42.7m) release clause, a clear number in a market full of inflated valuations and drawn-out talks.
Trigger it, and the picture changes quickly.
Clock ticking at Anfield
The idea of raiding PSG for two of their brightest young attackers will always stir excitement among Liverpool supporters. But the financial reality is blunt. A double deal at those figures would devour a huge chunk of the budget and restrict room for manoeuvre elsewhere in the squad.
Molina’s assessment is that Mbaye remains under consideration, yet the scale of the investment required could push Liverpool towards a different, unnamed target as the clock winds down.
The window is closing, the shortlist is long, and the margin for error is thin. Liverpool know they need one more attacking piece. The only question now is whose name they are willing to write the biggest cheque for.
