Liverpool Targets PSG's Barcola and Mbaye

Liverpool are moving fast in the French market, with a deal for Ibrahim Mbaye gathering serious pace while a fresh bid for his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Bradley Barcola is being lined up.

New head coach Andoni Iraola wants more firepower before the English transfer window shuts on September 1, and the club have turned their attention firmly to PSG’s wide options as they look to rebuild their attack.

Liverpool push on two PSG fronts

According to reports in France, Liverpool are preparing a new offer for Barcola this week, with talks between the clubs ongoing. The France international has long been identified as the preferred heir to Mohamed Salah, whose departure at the end of last season left a gaping hole on the right side of Liverpool’s attack.

There is still a clear gap in valuation between Liverpool and PSG, but the Premier League side are described as determined to keep pushing for an agreement rather than walking away.

While that saga rumbles on, the chase for Mbaye is moving at a different speed.

The same reports state that Liverpool’s move for the 18-year-old winger is “progressing rapidly”, with negotiations expected to accelerate after the youngster agreed terms on a five-year contract running until 2031. That commitment from the player has sharpened Liverpool’s focus and, crucially, appears to have cooled interest elsewhere.

Bayer Leverkusen, seen as a key rival for Mbaye’s signature, are now not expected to continue their pursuit of the France-born Senegal international, clearing a significant obstacle in Liverpool’s path.

Rebuilding an attack in flux

Liverpool’s need is obvious. Iraola has seen the club strengthen at the back with Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo arriving, but the attacking recruits have been thin on the ground.

So far, Victor Munoz is the only addition in the final third, the Spain international joining after Liverpool triggered his £34.5 million release clause at Osasuna during the World Cup. Beyond him, the forward line feels light.

Record signing Alexander Isak leads the line, Munoz adds quality, and teenage talent Rio Ngumoha offers excitement, but the depth behind them is fragile. Hugo Ekitike is sidelined with a long-term injury, while uncertainty lingers over the futures of Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa at Anfield.

That instability has opened the door for youth. Academy products Lewis Koumas and Will Wright featured heavily in pre-season, joined by fellow youngsters Trey Nyoni and Ifeanyi Ndukwe. They brought energy and promise, but Iraola and the club hierarchy know they cannot rely solely on potential across a gruelling campaign.

Above all, Salah has not been replaced in name or stature. The club icon’s exit and subsequent move to Trabzonspor left more than just a numbers problem; it removed Liverpool’s most reliable source of goals and threat from the right flank. Barcola, in the eyes of the recruitment team, is the man to step into that void.

PSG tension grows as duo left out

Speculation around both Barcola and Mbaye has only intensified after PSG’s latest squad decision. Neither winger was included in the matchday group for Sunday’s French Super Cup defeat to Lens, a glaring omission that immediately fuelled talk of looming exits.

Luis Enrique refused to be drawn into the noise. Asked about the pair after the loss, the PSG head coach replied: “I will only talk about the transfer window at the end of the transfer window, not before or after. When the transfer window is closed, I will talk about all the subjects.”

For now, his silence only adds to the sense that change is coming.

Liverpool, sensing opportunity and pressed by the calendar, are trying to strike twice in Paris. If they land both Barcola and Mbaye before September 1, Iraola’s attack will look very different – and so will the balance of their season.