Liverpool’s Search for Mohamed Salah Replacement Is Becoming Worryingly Expensive

The Reds may have to spend big to replace their superstar with another world-beater.

Liverpool are entering a new era under Andoni Iraola. | Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Liverpool will soon be forced into a major decision in their pursuit of an elite-level replacement for the departed Mohamed Salah.

The Reds bid farewell to their superstar forward this summer and now face the unenviable task of replacing a player whose nine-year tenure at Anfield saw him earn a reputation as one of the greatest players in Premier League history.

RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande was the initial target but, despite Liverpool’s willingness to spend $114 million (€100 million, £85 million) on the Côte d’Ivoire international, Paris Saint-Germain are expected to secure his signature instead.

Reports suggest PSG winger Bradley Barcola could be a leading alternative. L’Équipe note the Reds hold the strongest interest in a player who also sits on Arsenal’s list of attacking targets.

Should either Premier League giant want to land Barcola this summer, they are expected to be met with a mammoth asking price of $171 million (€150 million, £128 million)—well beyond the limit for Diomande.

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Is Barcola Worth $171 Million?

Bradley Barcola has plenty of admirers. | Glenn Gervot/PSG/Getty Images

There can be no doubt that the modern transfer market is overwhelmingly inflated. It is fair to debate whether any player is truly worth $171 million but, alas, that is the direction of the game in 2026.

From an administrative perspective, PSG are among the worst teams in the world to negotiate with. The Parisian giants are among the richest clubs in Europe and have, in Barcola, a 23-year-old winger widely accepted to be on the cusp of superstardom.

In a world in which Diomande could cost $114 million and Elliot Anderson sets Manchester City back $153 million, PSG would appear to be well within their right to demand such a significant fee for Barcola.

While still only 23, Barcola boasts plenty of experience. He was dazzling for Lyon in early 2022 and is on the cusp of 130 Ligue 1 appearances, while he has spent two years as part of a Champions League-winning side and is now part of the France roster at the World Cup. Clearly, that is not normal for a player of his tender age.

Those opportunities have been thoroughly earned by Barcola, who is a dangerous, fleet-footed winger whose love of an electric double is matched by an eagerness to create both goals and exists. His return in front of goal is not yet elite but shows enough encouragement to believe it will get there.

It is that potential that gives PSG the right to demand such a lofty figure, and although the European champions can be stubborn negotiators, the elephant in the room is that Barcola’s contract has just two years left to run.

Barcola is already struggling for minutes in a forward line that has been tipped to add both Diomande and Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche, and convincing him to sign a new contract could, therefore, prove difficult.

This summer is, perhaps, PSG’s final chance to demand anywhere close to full price for Barcola, whose value seemed destined to fall from this point onwards as a result of his contract situation. Suitors like Arsenal and Liverpool will undoubtedly try to use that to their advantage.

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