What Needs to Happen for Liverpool to Pull Off $250 Million Double Transfer Coup

Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has made it abundantly clear that he has no interest in forcibly keeping players in the French capital, a stance which has stoked the flames of Liverpool links surrounding two of his wingers.

Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye are widely established targets for Liverpool. Barcola has been a long-held figure of interest across the continent, with his future thrown up in the air by a reported refusal to sign a contract extension at PSG this summer.

Speculation surrounding Mbaye is fresher, but points toward the strength of Liverpool’s desire for more attacking talent on the flanks—no winger scored more than seven league goals for the club last season. There is a conceivable scenario in which both PSG forwards make the trip across the English Channel, but some dominoes would have to fall Liverpool’s way.

Luis Enrique Open to Any PSG Exits

Bradley Barcola collecting his medal. — Bradley Barcola didn’t earn a minute for PSG in the recent UEFA Super Cup. | Maciej Rogowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

“We are a very young, very ambitious team,” Enrique told assembled media earlier this month. “It is important for us to make changes and look for players who enjoy playing our way and who love playing for PSG.

“When a player doesn’t want to come here, or doesn’t have a smile on their face about being here, it is better to find another solution.”

There were few smiles from Barcola who failed to come off the bench in last week’s UEFA Super Cup victory over Aston Villa. The France international was an unused substitute in just two of his 51 matchday squad appearances across the entirety of last season. Yet, neither he nor Mbaye even made the bench for PSG’s battling defeat to Lens in Sunday’s Trophée des Champions.

Enrique bluntly refused to discuss either player’s future after that 1–0 loss.

The Dominoes That Must Fall for Liverpool to Sign Mbaye and Barcola

Come Closer to Valuations

Ibrahim Mbaye is attracting interest from Liverpool. | Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

It was first reported by L’Équipe that an offer for Mbaye from Liverpool was in the works. The French publication had previously valued the precocious 18-year-old at somewhere between $46.3–57.9 million (€40–50 million). Without mentioning a precise fee, Fabrizio Romano subsequently reported that PSG’s asking price is too steep for Liverpool.

Mbaye is thought to be in favor of the project on Merseyside, which is the stance supposedly shared by Barcola. Yet, the same problem persists in negotiations for the latter: price. PSG are thought to want a staggering $196.3 million (£145 million) for the 23-year-old two-time Champions League winner. The Reds are reportedly willing to stretch to $135.4 million (£100 million), but that still leaves a yawning chasm within which to negotiate.

Working in Liverpool’s favor is PSG’s other transfer business. Both Ferran Torres and, more pertinently, wingers Mika Godts and Maghnes Akliouche have been signed to strengthen a frontline which already includes Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and the inimitable Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

PSG’s wealth removes any financial pressure and they are not thought to be in breach of UEFA’s regulations, but Enrique’s quest for smiling players won’t be easy to achieve with so much competition for places.

Make Room at Anfield

Cody Gakpo — Gakpo is being pursued by Spurs. | Lewis Storey/Danehouse/Getty Images

In the event that Liverpool stump up in excess of $250 million, they will have to make some sales to help fund this extravagant expense and create room in the Anfield locker room.

With Rio Ngumoha’s future unquestioned and Víctor Muñoz only just through the door, the capture of two wingers will hinge on a potential exit for Cody Gakpo, Romano reports. Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to make a move for the Netherlands international, who has been supposedly valued at a minimum of $160 million—a number struck upon after Liverpool considered Morgan Rogers’s move to Chelsea for a similar fee.

Given Gakpo’s recent struggles, Spurs may be inclined to widen their own search for a new forward, perhaps they could even consider a pair on the market at PSG.

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