New reports have denied that Bradley Barcola has reached a contract agreement with Liverpool, but confirmed that the Paris Saint-Germain winger is prioritising the Merseyside club.
Contrary to the other reports from France on Tuesday, Fabrice Hawkins of RMC Sport claims Bradley Barcola hasn’t reached a contract agreement with Liverpool.
Yet Hawkins adds that Barcola has made Liverpool his priority if he leaves Paris Saint-Germain, so it seems such an agreement would be largely a formality.
Mario Cortegana had reported for The Athletic this week that Arsenal have shown interest in Barcola, but the Gunners are prioritising a possible move for Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid.
By contrast, Liverpool have made Barcola their top target, and they’re pushing ahead with the potential transfer.
Such a fee agreement is a long way off at this stage. The Athletic report that PSG want at least €170m (£145.4m) for Barcola, a huge valuation.
L’Equipe add that Liverpool have opened talks with PSG, but the French club are remaining firm on their financial demands, leading to a significant valuation gap between the two.
The upside of those stalling negotiations from an Arsenal perspective is that it’s unlikely Liverpool will be able to quickly secure a deal while the Gunners wait on Vinicius’ contract extension decision.
The concern is that if Vinicius opts to stay at Real Madrid, Arsenal will then be lagging significantly behind Liverpool in the race for Barcola.
Even if PSG then lower their demands and Arsenal are willing to match whatever Liverpool will pay, Barcola is evidently going to prioritise the club that prioritised him.
If Arsenal’s move for Vinicius doesn’t come off, having already missed out on Morgan Rogers to Chelsea, and with Barcola favouring Liverpool, it’s not clear where the club would turn next for a top attacking addition.
- Arsenal announce signing of Habeeb OgunneyeArsenal have signed 20-year-old full-back Habeeb Ogunneye, with the former Manchester United defender set to join the club’s Under-21 squad.
- Arsenal agree fee with Barcelona for Gabriel JesusArsenal and Barcelona have reportedly agreed a deal in principle for Gabriel Jesus, with a medical planned before the transfer deadline.
- Atletico Madrid confident Julian Alvarez will stayAtletico Madrid expect Julian Alvarez to return to group training and remain available, as Arsenal face a tightening transfer deadline.
- Newcastle star admits goal celebration v Spurs inspired by Thierry HenryAnthony Elanga has explained why he recreated Thierry Henry’s famous Tottenham celebration after scoring for Newcastle in their 2-0 win.
- Nwaneri & Talbot sent off as Arsenal u18s lose at BrightonArsenal Under-18s lost 2-1 at Brighton after Emerson Nwaneri and Jack Talbot were sent off in a difficult Premier League U18 match.