Liverpool's Pursuit of Maghnes Akliouche Stalled by PSG

Liverpool’s search for life after Mohamed Salah has hit another familiar snag: Paris Saint-Germain are already in the driving seat.

The Premier League club have been heavily linked with Monaco winger Maghnes Akliouche, but despite noise around a late push from Anfield, those close to the deal insist Liverpool are nowhere near hijacking it.

They’ve already moved once in the wide areas this summer, landing Spain international Victor Munoz from Osasuna for around €40m. That signing was never going to be the end of their work out wide. Back in March, Liverpool made it clear Salah would be allowed to leave for a new challenge, and that decision has shaped the entire window.

Akliouche, though, is slipping towards Paris.

PSG in control

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano poured cold water on talk of a Liverpool ambush, stressing that PSG have the upper hand and that the player’s preference is clear.

“There has been plenty of speculation about Liverpool hijacking the deal for Maghnes Akliouche but my information has not changed,” he said on his YouTube channel, underlining that he would flag it immediately if Liverpool actually entered the race.

Right now, they haven’t.

Romano reports that PSG already have an agreement with Akliouche and that negotiations with Monaco are ongoing. The clubs have not fully closed the deal, which leaves a sliver of room for drama, but the French champions are “firmly in control of the situation” and pushing to get it done quickly.

The warning is obvious: transfers can flip in an instant. Morgan Rogers was the recent example Romano pointed to. Yet there is no sign, at this stage, that Liverpool are preparing that kind of late twist.

Liverpool interest – but at arm’s length

The story is not entirely one-sided. Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas revealed that Liverpool had made an initial approach to Monaco and checked on Akliouche’s availability, noting that the France youth international is also a target for PSG.

That interest is real. It just isn’t advanced.

The Athletic’s James Pearce echoed that stance, describing Akliouche as “a possibility, rather than a kind of definite” for Liverpool this summer. Speaking on GiveMeSport’s Market Madness podcast, Pearce said Liverpool had held discussions and made an approach earlier in the window, with the Monaco right-winger one of several options under assessment.

He is viewed as a cheaper alternative to PSG’s Bradley Barcola, with Pearce suggesting a fee in the region of €50-60m would be needed to prise Akliouche from Monaco.

So Liverpool have asked the question. They have run the numbers. They have him on a list.

But the player, at this stage, wants PSG.

Another battle with PSG, same outcome?

Liverpool have already felt the sting of a top target leaning towards Paris. RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande emerged early in the window as a leading option to strengthen the frontline, only for widespread reports to claim he preferred a move to PSG.

Akliouche looks like a repeat of that pattern: Liverpool circling, PSG closing.

For Michael Edwards and the club’s revamped recruitment team, the equation is becoming sharper. They need a successor on the right if Salah departs, they have identified profiles and price brackets, and yet the market’s elite wide talents keep drifting towards Paris.

Akliouche remains, technically, on the table. The deal between Monaco and PSG is not done, Liverpool have made contact, and their admiration is genuine. But with the player already leaning towards the Parc des Princes and PSG pushing to finalise terms, Anfield’s next great right-winger may have to be found elsewhere.

The question now is simple: how long can Liverpool wait before turning that “possibility” into a decisive move for someone who actually wants to wear red?