Liverpool’s Attack Rebuild Stalls as Barcola Talks Leave Gakpo Exposed

Liverpool were supposed to be in the middle of a bold reset by now. Instead, with the window ticking towards its final month, they feel stuck between eras.

The departures and injuries have landed hard. Hugo Ekitike is sidelined until at least January. Mohamed Salah, the man who defined the right flank for a generation at Anfield, is now a Trabzonspor player. The hole he leaves is not just statistical; it’s structural. It shapes everything Liverpool try to do in this market.

And yet, the name dominating the current conversation is not a right-winger at all.

Barcola talks push Gakpo down the ladder

Liverpool’s search for attacking reinforcements has produced a familiar pattern: a long list of forwards, but mostly left-sided players. In the modern game, that isn’t automatically a problem. Coaches demand fluid front threes, interchangeable positions, constant rotation of roles.

But replacing Salah is different. If Liverpool want someone to walk straight into that vacancy and keep the machine running, they need a natural right-winger. A specialist, not just another option.

Which is why the emerging picture around Bradley Barcola is so striking.

“Bradley Barcola would be signed to play left wing for Liverpool, not the Salah replacement,” Anfield Sector reported via X, outlining the club’s internal view of the 21-year-old. The line that will sting Cody Gakpo the most came next: “He would come in ahead of Cody Gakpo in the pecking order should a deal be agreed with PSG, with negotiations progressing slowly but the PSG hierarchy currently unwilling to compromise on a €150m+ valuation.”

So if Liverpool get Barcola, Gakpo becomes the back-up. Not a rotational equal. A clear number two.

That’s a brutal shift for a player who, not so long ago, looked like one of the club’s most reliable forwards.

From key man to question mark

Gakpo’s Liverpool story has lurched sharply in the last two seasons.

In 2024-25, he was among their standout attackers. Operating from the left, he went toe-to-toe with Luis Díaz for a starting spot and produced one of his best campaigns in a red shirt. Direct, aggressive, decisive – he looked like a long-term pillar of the new-look front line.

Then came 2025-26. With Díaz out of the picture, Gakpo opened the campaign as Liverpool’s only established left-winger. On paper, it was the perfect platform. In reality, his form fell off a cliff. His performances dipped so dramatically that frustration in the stands turned into open calls for change.

Those calls had a name: Rio Ngumoha.

Supporters began demanding the youngster start ahead of the Dutchman. Eventually, Arne Slot relented and handed Ngumoha his chance. Once that door opened, it was hard to ignore what it meant for Gakpo’s status. A player who had just fought his way into prominence now found himself squeezed from above by transfer targets and from below by academy talent.

Little wonder, then, that Liverpool’s recruitment radar has been full of left-wingers in recent months. And within that group, one candidate stands out.

Why Barcola changes everything

Of all the wide forwards linked, Bradley Barcola looks the most complete fit for what Liverpool want on that flank.

Last season, he delivered 20 goal contributions across all competitions for PSG. That output alone would catch the eye, but it’s the way he did it that really matters. Barcola didn’t just hug the left touchline and repeat the same patterns. He moved across the front three, operating off either wing and centrally, offering the kind of tactical flexibility elite coaches crave.

By comparison, Gakpo’s versatility has started to feel more theoretical than decisive. He can operate in multiple roles, but Barcola has been doing it at a higher level and with greater impact.

If Liverpool do manage to prise Barcola away from PSG, the upgrade on the left would be significant. More pace, more incision, more unpredictability. A winger who can stretch teams, attack space, and still slot into different positions when the system demands it.

The problem, of course, is the price. PSG are currently holding firm on a valuation north of €150m, and negotiations are moving at a crawl. Liverpool know they can’t afford many mistakes in this window. Every major outlay has to hit.

But the logic is clear: if a deal can be structured, swapping Gakpo’s place in the hierarchy for Barcola’s ceiling is a move the club will feel compelled to make.

That leaves one lingering question around Anfield as the clock winds down on the window: are Liverpool ready to pay elite money to fix the left – while the right, and Salah’s shadow, still looms over everything they do?