Forget Barcola: How Liverpool can seal their best signing since Szoboszlai

It has been 46 days since Liverpool completed a £35.5m move to sign Victor Munoz from Osasuna.

The 23-year-old winger from Spain adds depth and dynamism down the wings, both left and right, but he’s not the answer to all of Andoni Iraola’s problems.

To be honest, that signing only papers over the cracks, and the first flash of rain will surely dampen and tear those sheets. Jeremy Jacquet has also joined from Rennes for £60m, in fairness, but the centre-back is young, and he hasn’t played during pre-season as he is eased back into contention following a lengthy shoulder injury.

Liverpool cannot summarily sign any player who pops up, simply to plug a hole, but there’s no question that this is a thin squad, and a big-money move for Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola won’t fix all of the problems, as exciting as the Frenchman is.

Why Barcola isn’t the answer to all Liverpool’s problems

With PSG pushing ahead with a deal to sign fleet-footed Ajax winger Mika Godts, Liverpool are inching toward a deal for Barcola, who, aged 23, has won back-to-back Champions League titles and established himself as “one of the best left wingers in the world“, according to analyst Ben Mattinson.

REUTERS/Sam Navarro

And therein lies the problem. Barcola is not a natural right-sider. He can play there, sure, but with enough conviction to efficiently replace Mohamed Salah over the coming years? It’s questionable, to say the least.

Tottenham Hotspur’s vested interest in Cody Gakpo may well come to nought. Liverpool aren’t exactly stuffed in attack, and Gakpo’s ability to stand in at centre-forward could be invaluable as Hugo Ekitike continues his rehabilitation following an Achilles rupture sustained against PSG in April.

Liverpool are currently locked in talks with the French giants to find a solution, to sign Barcola, but whether they can meet on common ground is another question entirely. They certainly won’t want to meet the player’s £145m valuation, some £20m above the British-record fee they paid one year ago to sign Alexander Isak.

Liverpool ready record move for Barcola alternative

Last summer, Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz for £115m. Many speculated that it would spell the end for Dominik Szoboszlai, shoving the Hungarian out of the way.

The inverse has happened. Szoboszlai swept up the awards at Liverpool’s end-of-season ceremony, such as it was, and is now regarded as a superstar and a talisman.

Albeit in different circumstances, we could see something similar take place if Liverpool decide to sign Rayan instead of Barcola this summer.

According to TEAMtalk, the Bournemouth winger is a top target for the Reds, with FSG chiefs having bumped the 20-year-old up after holding talks with Iraola.

Rayan has a £130m release clause that will become active in January, ensuring he could prove ‘very expensive’ for the Reds to sign, with anywhere close to that figure set to eclipse the fee dished out on Isak.

Rayan is emerging as a force of nature in the Premier League. He only played 15 times last term (starting 13 of those games), but scored five goals, supplied two assists and proved an all-round menace down the right side, cutting inside with venom and scoring a few special strikes.

His physicality and natural edge in front of goal could see Liverpool hit the jackpot, signing a player who has the skill to become a focal point up front and emulate Szoboszlai in that.

Barcola is an elite talent, and no mistake, but the skill and sureness with which Rayan plays his football has been nothing short of remarkable, given that he has played in Europe for all of six months. He only made his debut for Selecao in April, and had only two caps to his name before flying over to the Americas this summer.

His Cherries teammate James Tavernier has described him as a “world-class” winger, someone who would dovetail into any of the Premier League’s foremost outfits, and given that he is naturally positioned on the right, the teenager has all that he needs to cement himself as a superstar signing for Liverpool, perhaps even eclipsing Barcola’s potential impact and proving himself to be a signing every bit as emphatic as Szoboszlai.

Ultimately, Liverpool fans would have expected their outfit to be in a stronger position at the start of August, the new season only weeks away, but there is still time for FSG to put things to rights.

Rayan is not Barcola, but he’s clearly an elite talent, and would certainly join the likes of Szoboszlai as a mainstay for a transitional Liverpool side who must still prove that they can compete for the biggest titles on show.