Liverpool Shift Focus to PSG’s Barcola as Diomande Deal Stalls

Liverpool’s post‑Mohamed Salah rebuild has hit its first major twist – and it’s pushed Anfield’s gaze firmly towards Paris.

Fenway Sports Group had earmarked Yan Diomande as the statement signing of the summer, the heir to Salah’s right‑flank throne. The RB Leipzig forward, lighting up the 2026 World Cup with Ivory Coast, has been high on Liverpool’s list for months. Talks with his camp have already taken place.

The problem? Two brick walls.

Leipzig do not want to sell. And the 19-year-old, for all Liverpool’s interest, prefers Paris Saint-Germain.

With that, Liverpool’s recruitment team have been forced to change lanes at speed. The new name at the top of the list: Bradley Barcola.

From Diomande to Barcola

As Diomande edges towards PSG, the domino effect is being felt across Europe’s transfer market. Sky Sport Switzerland journalist Sacha Tavolieri reported on June 29 that Liverpool are now in direct contact with PSG over Barcola.

“EXCL – Paris Saint-Germain has already discussed directly with several clubs, including Liverpool, for Bradley Barcola!” he posted on X at 12:53pm that day, adding that Diomande’s move “automatically opens the door” to Barcola’s departure, with the Frenchman expected to leave this summer.

Liverpool have moved quickly to test that door.

TEAMtalk reports that the club have made fresh contact with Barcola’s agents this week. Their sources say Liverpool have spoken again with the 23-year-old’s representatives in recent days and received “further encouragement” that the winger is preparing to leave the Parc des Princes before the window closes.

For a club trying to reshape its attack without Salah, that matters. Barcola isn’t just available. He’s ready.

A serial winner on the market

Barcola’s CV since arriving at PSG in 2023 is stacked.

• Three Ligue 1 titles.
• Two Coupe de France triumphs.
• Two Champions League crowns.

He has lived inside a dressing room built to win everything, and he has done exactly that. At 23, he is already a France international and currently part of Didier Deschamps’ squad at the 2026 World Cup.

This is not a gamble on potential alone. It is a move for a player who knows the pressure of knockout nights, title run-ins and the scrutiny that comes with a superclub badge.

Liverpool, of course, know that profile well. They also know it comes at a price.

The €120m question

PSG are not planning a giveaway. According to TEAMtalk, the French champions value Barcola at €120 million (£103.3m).

That figure is no coincidence. It mirrors the kind of fee PSG would have to put on the table to prise Diomande from Leipzig. One winger in, one winger out, with the balance sheet kept intact.

For Liverpool, it poses a familiar dilemma. Pay elite money for a player stepping into Salah’s shadow, or walk away and risk being left short in a season of transition.

The market rarely waits. Diomande has chosen PSG. Barcola looks ready to walk through the exit. Liverpool are at the front of the queue, talking to Paris and to the player’s camp.

Now comes the hard part: do they push all the way, or does another club steal in while Anfield hesitates?