Bradley Barcola to Liverpool cast into doubt after 2025 transfer decision

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Bradley Barcola has been heavily linked as a potential Mohamed Salah replacement at Liverpool in recent weeks.With Salah moving on and Federico Chiesa potentially leaving, the Reds will have just two natural wide options in Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha, both of whom are best used off the left.Of late, Yan Diomande and Barcola have been mooted as transfer options for Liverpool, but the Merseyside outfit may struggle to afford the PSG star due to their big spending last summer. If Xabi Alonso goes to Chelsea, who should be Liverpool’s next manager?

Credit: Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI/AFP/Getty Images Liverpool unlikely to be able to afford Bradley BarcolaIn the summer of 2025, Liverpool spent around £450m on new signings, including paying a British transfer record fee for Alexander Isak.Florian Wirtz also cost over £100m, while big fees were paid out for Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez.After such a productive summer, it seems obvious Liverpool would go on to challenge for the Premier League title once more and be a dominant force for many years to come.However, it has become pretty clear that there is still much more work to be done on Arne Slot’s side.Yet, the big spending last summer may mean that a deal for Barcola is not possible once this year’s window opens up in June.A piece from The Athletic on Tuesday mooted a transfer for the Frenchman and stated: “Barcola leaving PSG, even if his game time has been limited, would be tough, given the French club’s status as one of the best teams in the world, and Liverpool pulling together the funds to sign him also appears to be unlikely after last summer’s big spend.”Liverpool’s Bradley Barcola alternativesAs mentioned, Diomande is another option for Liverpool this summer.But if they cannot afford Barcola, would they be able to meet RB Leipzig’s asking price for the winger?Yankuba Minteh’s price tag amid links to Liverpool was revealed last month, with a figure north of £60m suggested.That is still not cheap by any means, but it would probably be a lot less than the fee needed for Barcola.However, Minteh has not had the most productive season, only scoring three and assisting four in 34 matches for Brighton and Hove Albion so far.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox