Liverpool Reconsider Barcola Deal as Arsenal Eyes Opportunity

Liverpool’s pursuit of Bradley Barcola has hit a wall, and it is a very expensive one painted in PSG blue.

The Premier League club, still searching for a replacement for Mohamed Salah after his surprise free transfer to Trabzonspor last week, had identified the France winger as a priority signing. Talks with Paris Saint-Germain have been running for some time. Progress has not.

PSG have fixed their price at around £145million, according to The Athletic. Liverpool have no intention of going that high. PSG, for their part, have no intention of climbing down. Stalemate.

Barcola is understood to be keen on the move as he looks for more minutes, but his wishes are not shifting the numbers in Paris. With deadline day just three weeks away, Liverpool are now prepared to step back and turn to alternative options to strengthen Andoni Iraola’s thin squad.

That change of stance could crack the door open for Arsenal.

Arteta watching, waiting

Arsenal remain in the market for a headline signing after failing in their ambitious push for Vinicius Junior, who chose to commit his future to Real Madrid with a new long-term contract. The Gunners have already brought in Christos Tzolis on the left, yet Barcola still features on their list.

For now, they are watching the situation rather than driving it. Liverpool’s reluctance to meet PSG’s valuation could be the moment Arsenal have been waiting for. If the Reds formally pull out, the path to the negotiating table becomes clearer for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Arteta has already set the tone for the rest of the window. “Well, that's what we're trying to do,” he said when asked about more arrivals. “If we have the right player in the market to make us much better, we are very looking forward to that.”

The right player might just be the one Liverpool decide they can no longer afford.