Liverpool signs Barcola from PSG for 123 million pounds

Liverpool's transfer spending shows no signs of slowing down. The Anfield club has reached an agreement to sign Bradley Barcola, the Paris Saint-Germain winger, for a fee in the region of 123 million pounds (about 166 million dollars), a person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the details have not yet been made public.

Neither Liverpool nor PSG have commented officially on the transfer, which is typical while the administrative details are finalized. What is known is how the fee breaks down: Liverpool would pay a fixed 106 million pounds (about 143 million dollars), plus up to 17 million pounds (roughly 23 million dollars) in add-ons tied to performance targets.

Barcola, 23, is expected to undergo a medical before the transfer window shuts, a formality that carries its own tension in this market, given that everyone involved knows the clock is unforgiving: the deadline is Tuesday.

A résumé that carries weight

The French winger joined PSG from Lyon in 2023 and has since become an important piece, though not always a starter, for a team that has won back-to-back Champions League titles. In Paris, Barcola has operated mostly on the left flank, but he has had to share minutes with Desire Doue, who has typically been the preferred choice to start matches.

The fact that a player with that track record is arriving as an attacking reinforcement says a lot about Liverpool's ambitions this season. This is hardly the club's first big-money move: Liverpool had already spent 125 million pounds (about 170 million dollars) on forward Alexander Isak and 116 million pounds (nearly 156 million dollars) on attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz last summer. The list of expensive names in Anfield's forward line keeps growing.

Could Barcola be the piece that unlocks Liverpool's uneven start to the season? The club has yet to record a Premier League win, drawing 2-2 against Newcastle last weekend and repeating that same scoreline against Nottingham Forest this Saturday. Two draws in two matches is not the start a club used to fighting at the top of the table had in mind, and the addition of an attacker with Barcola's pace and knack for creating chaos looks aimed squarely at fixing that problem.

It remains to be seen how quickly he adapts and whether he can lock down a regular starting spot, something he never fully managed in Paris despite winning trophies. What is clear is that Liverpool did not hesitate to pay a hefty fee for a player who, up to now, has been more prized backup than undisputed starter.