Each party hopes it won’t come to this, but if Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain fail to find commonality in negotiations over a move to bring Bradley Barcola to Anfield, FSG will have to walk away.
But Liverpool are less than two weeks away from their Premier League curtain-raiser against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park, a match sure to have a charged air.
The Reds have a lot to sort out before the start of the new season. Creases to iron out, potholes to pave over. Andoni Iraola hasn’t minced his words when discussing his side’s fitness levels, a by-product of the clearly relaxed standards under Arne Slot’s management last year.
That will improve over the next few months, but Liverpool do need to bring in the right signings to help charge the system. In truth, Liverpool have to get the Barcola deal over the line, finally replacing Luis Diaz in attack.
Why Barcola is the perfect Diaz replacement
Under Slot’s wing, Diaz played the best football of his Liverpool career. He was duly rewarded with a Premier League title, second only to Mohamed Salah in terms of influence across the 2025/26 campaign.
|
Most Liverpool Goal Involvements under Arne Slot |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Apps |
G/A |
|
Mohamed Salah |
93 |
80 |
|
Dominik Szoboszlai |
102 |
42 |
|
Cody Gakpo |
101 |
40 |
|
Luis Diaz |
50 |
25 |
|
Alexis Mac Allister |
104 |
25 |
One year ago, he was sold to Bayern Munich for £65.5m. It was understandable, but the failure to replace him less so. Liverpool felt the ramifications of that blunder throughout the term, and Barcola’s signature is now all the more important for FSG to acquire.
In many ways, Barcola is cut from the same cloth. He is a direct threat, deadly in front of goal, though he’s a touch too wasteful with his finishing, accruing so much xG (expected goals), but failing to convert with the precision of someone like Salah. He’s only 23, though, and is ever-improving in the French capital.
Barcola is the perfect Diaz replacement, but you have to move past the exorbitant price tag to reach that conclusion. Gakpo fell short last season, and Salah is no longer on Merseyside.
After all, we haven’t even touched on the fact that the France international is not a right winger; side of the frontline is gathering cobwebs now Salah has signed for Trabzonspor.
Why Liverpool could sign £75m star alongside Barcola
Liverpool emerged as contenders to sign Ibrahim Mbaye from PSG earlier this month, but that one appears to be trundling along. It might be beneficial for the Reds to explore a deal for an alternative.
And according to Chelsea insider Simon Phillips, that man could be Pedro Neto, who Chelsea have priced at £75m amid a wave of interest from their rivals in the Premier League.
Chelsea would sell him if the money’s right. He’s got interest from Tottenham. Liverpool are interested, and Manchester City, which has been public. I’ve heard from a source over the weekend that Arsenal are also interested in Neto.
Two years ago, Chelsea signed Neto from Wolves for about £54m. They certainly would not accept a loss on the 26-year-old, who has only posted 19 goals and 19 assists across 103 matches for the Blues.
Still, circumstance matters, and Neto could reach a new level at a Liverpool side who would prize his qualities and encourage him to blend his natural spark on the ball with a hunger for more goals. In that, he could become something of a right-sided Diaz at Liverpool, partnering with Barcola and supercharging Iraola’s system.
The Portugal international’s pace and creativity down the flanks, both left and right, makes him an interesting option for Iraola’s Liverpool. He could indeed complement Barcola while zipping forward and creating space for Florian Wirtz in the centre, whose connection with Alexander Isak during pre-season has excited supporters.
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho believes his Iberian compatriot is “one of the best wingers in the world“. Neto’s numbers in front of goal and his struggles to maintain the ability that arrives in flashes would counter that claim, but there’s no question that he has the potential to be a special player, creating 12 big chances across 30 Premier League starts last term.
The flashy forward also missed only three big chances. He only scored five goals, but this speaks toward a natural goalscoring edge that Iraola could help develop – having some something similar with the likes of Antoine Semenyo and, to a degree, Eli Junior Kroupi.
Though Liverpool are continuing to place emphasis in signing Barcola, Neto could be the perfect right-sider to continue down that track. It would deepen the Reds’ tactical understanding and play into the intensity that has caused an issue at this early stage.
Is Neto as good as Diaz in his Liverpool heyday? No, not yet. But he could be, worked into a more direct role under Iraola’s wing.