Liverpool's Summer Transfer Dilemma: Barcola vs. Gakpo
Liverpool’s summer was supposed to be a clean break, a sharp reset after the Klopp era. Instead, with the window ticking down, it feels more like a traffic jam.
Big decisions are piling up. Very few are actually being made.
The club knew months ago that change was coming. Senior figures talked openly about refresh rather than revolution, but the reality of the squad told a different story. Several key areas needed upgrading, the attack most of all. Now, with Mohamed Salah gone to Trabzonspor and Hugo Ekitike sidelined until at least January, Liverpool’s forward line looks light, unbalanced and worryingly improvised.
The search for a new wide forward has thrown up a familiar problem: the market is full of left-wingers, not right-wingers. Names keep surfacing, but very few naturally hug that right touchline the way Salah did. Versatility is fashionable, almost mandatory at the top level, yet Liverpool still need someone who can step straight into the void on that flank.
And into this muddled picture walks Bradley Barcola.
Barcola in, Gakpo down the ladder
If Liverpool get their way, Barcola doesn’t arrive as the new Salah. He arrives to take Cody Gakpo’s seat.
“Bradley Barcola would be signed to play left wing for Liverpool, not the Salah replacement,” Anfield Sector reported via X, adding that the Frenchman would move ahead of Gakpo in the pecking order if a deal can be struck with Paris Saint-Germain. Negotiations are said to be moving slowly, with the PSG hierarchy currently standing firm on a valuation north of €150m.
That figure alone tells you how highly they rate him. It also underlines the scale of the decision Liverpool are weighing up. Spend that sort of money and you are not signing a rotation piece. You are signing a starter, a statement, and in this case, a direct challenge to Gakpo’s place in the squad.
On paper, the logic is brutal but clear.
Gakpo’s slide and the rise of a new profile
Gakpo’s Liverpool story has already had one strong chapter. In 2024-25 he was among the club’s sharpest attackers, trading blows with Luis Díaz for the left-wing role and delivering one of his best seasons in red. He looked settled, decisive, finally like the player Liverpool thought they had stolen from under other clubs’ noses.
Then came 2025-26.
With Díaz out of the picture on that flank at the start of the campaign, Gakpo had the left side to himself. Instead of kicking on, his form went the other way. His performances dipped, then fell off a cliff. He drifted in games, struggled to influence big moments, and the frustration inside Anfield grew with every flat display.
The crowd began to call for Rio Ngumoha. Eventually, Arne Slot listened. The youngster was handed starts, and with them came a sense of movement, of something new. From that point, Gakpo’s status shifted from starter to question mark.
Once that happens, the transfer links follow. Liverpool have been tied to a string of left-sided forwards, but Barcola stands out from the pack.
He contributed to 20 goals across all competitions last season and, crucially, did it while moving across the front three. That flexibility matters. He can start on the left, drift inside, operate on the right if needed. In a squad suddenly stripped of Salah and waiting on Ekitike, that kind of profile is gold.
Compared to Gakpo, Barcola offers a broader palette. More positions covered, more ways to be used, and right now, more upward momentum.
A ruthless trade Liverpool may have to make
There are still plenty of moving parts. PSG’s valuation is sky-high, the talks are slow, and Liverpool’s budget will always have its limits. But the equation is becoming stark.
If Liverpool can effectively turn Gakpo into Barcola – whether through a straight sale and reinvestment or a more creative structure – it is a move that fits the direction of travel under Slot. Younger, more dynamic, more versatile, with the potential to grow into a leading role across the front line.
Liverpool once built a title-winning side by making hard calls on popular players and backing their recruitment to find upgrades. The question now is whether they are ready to be that ruthless again, and whether Barcola is the next bold step in that evolution or the one that got away.
