The new Ekitike: Liverpool line up move to sign £87m Diomande alternative

With Andoni Iraola replacing Arne Slot at the Liverpool helm, a lot is going to change at Anfield after an abject Premier League title defence.

Is the appointment a risk? Yes, it is. Iraola is taking a giant leap into the dugout of one of the biggest and most demanding clubs in world football. He has done fine work at Bournemouth, but how his high-octane system withstands the increased pressure of European competition remains to be seen – as does his capacity to implement a more possession-focused structure.

Still, this is an exciting hire, with the Basque coach leaning further toward the intensity established under Jurgen Klopp that fans have pined for over the past year.

FSG CEO of football Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes are still leading the transfer charge, though, with new forwards the priority.

Liverpool begin talks for elite forward

Liverpool have emerged from one of their most disappointing seasons in a long time with their Champions League status intact. This is significant, with the Reds still able to attract the biggest talents over to Anfield.

Yan Diomande has emerged as FSG’s top target now that Mohamed Salah has played his last for the Merseysiders, but Paris Saint-Germain are also hot on the RB Leipzig winger’s trail, so alternative routes may be required.

Liverpool need more than just a right winger, though, especially when considering Hugo Ekitike is out for the long run with a ruptured Achilles. Iraola needs a dynamic and positionally fluid attacker to join alongside someone like Diomande.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool are pursuing a deal for Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola this summer, with the £87m-rated winger entering the penultimate year of his contract.

Barcola has formed a part of one of Europe’s deadliest attacks in history, but PSG’s jam-packed frontline has seen his playing time dished out sporadically by Luis Enrique.

Now, the 23-year-old is open to a move elsewhere, and though Liverpool are determined, Arsenal are among their rival suitors in the race.

Why Barcola could be Liverpool’s next Ekitike

Were it not for terrible luck on the injury front, Ekitike would be linking up with Barcola for France’s World Cup campaign. Instead, Liverpool’s standout forward of 2025/26 will be lucky to play again before January. Such is football.

Barcola could help replace him, though, with a versatility in his attacking play that could help Iraola’s system fire on all cylinders from the get-go.

The 6 foot Frenchman is electric on the ball and unpredictable when pitted against anxious defenders. He would certainly bring the X-factor that has been lacking at Anfield of late, an upgrade on Cody Gakpo on the left.

Since the start of last season, Barcola has posted 34 goals and 28 assists for his outfit. Such numbers will help Liverpool out a bunch, but Barcola’s influence stretches further, so creative and intelligent and influential.

Like Ekitike, he does more than what is demanded by the job description, and given the high-octane nature of Iraola’s football, this could be crucial for a Liverpool persuasion who will inevitably enter the new campaign with an element of anxiety after such a draining year.

Barcola, still improving, has been hailed as “one of the best left wingers in Europe” by Como scout Ben Mattinson, and while him and Ekitike could form a devastating partnership in the future, he will initially serve frontman Alexander Isak in a fashion not too dissimilar to Ekitike across the recent campaign.

Barcola is one of the most exciting up-and-coming wingers in the world, and the fact that he does not start week in, week out for PSG should not dissuade Liverpool.

He is up against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the left wing, after all. At Liverpool, he would be given free rein to explore the limits of his physical and technical talents, making the left-sided role his own.

The quality is there, and he could make an instant impact for Iraola’s Liverpool side, emulating Ekitike in that.