Liverpool are closing in on a deal for Paris St-Germain and France winger Bradley Barcola, with the club prepared to pay around £100m for the 23-year-old, though PSG are reportedly holding out for closer to £145m. It would be Liverpool's third signing above £100m, following club-record deals for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, and reflects an urgent need to strengthen an attack that finished fifth in the Premier League last season, 25 points behind champions Arsenal, and has since lost Mohamed Salah on a free transfer.

Barcola, who joined PSG from Lyon in 2023 for a reported £38.5m, has since won three Ligue 1 titles, two French Cups and back-to-back Champions League titles, coming off the bench in both finals. Playing time has been limited by competition from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, and he faced similar rotation for France at the World Cup, where he scored three goals in eight appearances. Statistically, Opta's player similarity model rates him as the closest match in style to departed winger Luis Diaz, though his game is shaped more by centre-forward instincts, having played as a striker until age 17.