France international Bradley Barcola has joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain, becoming the club’s second-record signing after Sweden striker Alexander Isak.
A record deal for Liverpool
The transfer is valued at €125 million (£107 million, $145 million), with a further €20 million available through bonuses regarded as readily attainable. Liverpool’s total commitment of £124 million is surpassed only by the £125 million they paid Newcastle for Isak.
- Barcola’s transfer is the most expensive ever involving a Ligue 1 player.
- It represents the 10th Premier League transfer worth more than £100 million.
- The deal is the fourth transfer above that threshold completed during the current summer window.
- The 23-year-old is Liverpool’s third £100 million-plus forward signing in the past two years.
Isak moved to Anfield from Newcastle last year, while Liverpool also spent approximately £100 million to recruit Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. Neither player has so far justified such significant fees, although Isak was sidelined for much of the previous campaign with an injury.
Barcola’s ambitions at Anfield
Barcola has agreed to what Liverpool describe as a long-term contract. He had not featured for PSG at any point this season while speculation over his future continued.
Speaking after completing the move, Barcola said he was proud and delighted to begin his Liverpool career. He explained that the process had taken time, but that his immediate priority was to get onto the pitch and play.
The winger also set out a major objective: winning the Premier League, which he called one of his greatest ambitions. He wants to remain at Liverpool for many years and believes the lengthy contract can help him pursue that goal.
Barcola arrives after helping PSG win the Champions League in each of the last two seasons. He has been on Liverpool’s radar for a considerable period.
Since moving from domestic rivals Lyon to PSG for £38.6 million in 2023, he has scored 39 times in 152 appearances and collected three consecutive Ligue 1 championship medals.
He has also found the net three times for France during the country’s run to the semi-finals of the recent World Cup.
Adding width to Liverpool’s attack
Liverpool began seeking greater strength in the wide positions after Mohamed Salah left at the end of last season. Luis Diaz’s exit one season earlier had already reduced the supply of service from the flanks to the club’s forwards.
The club have also brought in Spain World Cup-winning winger Victor Munoz from Osasuna during this transfer window. Munoz made an immediate impression by scoring Liverpool’s equaliser in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.
That result followed another 2-2 finish, Liverpool’s opening Premier League scoreline at Newcastle on August 23.
Barcola is expected to operate from the left side. His arrival could push Cody Gakpo further down the attacking pecking order, while Gakpo has been linked with a transfer to Manchester City.
Reunion with Ekitike
The move also brings Barcola back together with former PSG colleague Hugo Ekitike, now a fellow France international at Liverpool. Ekitike is currently recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Barcola said he had spoken regularly with Ekitike, whom he first met in the France setup and later played alongside at his former club. He added that Ekitike had been waiting for the transfer to be completed and had frequently messaged him to ask whether he was coming.
The new Liverpool winger said he was eager to reunite with Ekitike on the field and had already told him that the deal was done.
Barcola was not an automatic starter throughout his PSG career, competing for places with Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue. Even so, he played an important role in the French club’s successive Champions League victories.
