Mohamed Salah has left for Trabzonspor. Twenty-nine goals in his last great season, a league title, nine years reigning on Anfield's right flank. Liverpool must now replace that.
The club has chosen a target: Bradley Barcola.
A deal that has been dragging on since July
Negotiations have been going on for several months. An initial verbal offer was turned down. Then a proposal of around 115 million euros was also rejected. The Reds are said to have since raised their offer to around 135 to 140 million. PSG, for their part, are said to be asking for 150.
Discussions resumed in recent days and the gap is narrowing. Still, nothing has been signed.
The player, however, seems to have made up his mind. Barcola has made it known that he will not extend his contract, which runs until 2028. He is said to have already reached a personal agreement with Liverpool. And he no longer appears in Luis Enrique's squads.
Barcola is not Salah
The real question remains: Barcola is not Salah.
Salah played on the right, cut inside onto his left foot, scored twenty goals a season without question. Barcola, on the other hand, is left-footed, plays on the left flank and attacks the space behind the defence rather than the penalty area. Replacing him position for position would therefore make no sense.
The profile Iraola wants
What Andoni Iraola is looking for lies elsewhere. The Reds' new manager wants direct play, running, verticality. He already has Alexander Isak up front, Florian Wirtz between the lines and Hugo Ekitike in support. What he lacks is a player capable of stretching a defence in three strides.
That is where the price becomes interesting: Liverpool would not be paying for output, but for a profile.
And 140 million euros for a profile, even at 23 years old, remains a real risk.
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