Liverpool have been advised to abandon their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola after the French club set a £145 million (€170m) asking price for the 23-year-old. Despite reports suggesting Barcola has reached an agreement in principle to join the Reds following talks with new manager Andoni Iraola, former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol believes the fee is excessive.
Barcola's performance and contract situation
Barcola scored 13 goals across all competitions last season as PSG won both Ligue 1 and the Champions League under Luis Enrique. However, the Frenchman is reluctant to sign a new contract after falling down the pecking order and is seeking a move this summer. Arsenal, the Premier League champions, are also interested in Barcola as they look to strengthen the left side of Mikel Arteta's attack, alongside Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior.
Nicol's warning on the price tag
Speaking to ESPN, Nicol said: 'Well, I’m glad that they’ve got interest in Barcola. There’s no question he’s a player. He’s exciting. I think he certainly would have fitted in the mould of previous Liverpool managers, and no question he’ll fit in the same mould as Iraola. The problem is they’re looking for, what, £145 million? I’m sorry, he’s a really good player, but he hasn’t done enough, in my opinion, to be touted for £145 million. Let’s take the facts. The facts of the matter are Bradley Barcola hasn’t been a regular starter in the PSG side. It’s a fantastic team, but he’s generally been coming off the bench. He made 29 Ligue 1 appearances last season. I’d love to know how many of them, A, were off the bench and B, when he was giving others a rest. If Liverpool could sign Barcola, he’s only going to get better, but not at £145 million, not from me.'
Liverpool's transfer predicament
Liverpool are in need of reinforcements after Mohamed Salah's departure this summer, but Nicol warns that the club may have to overpay due to their urgent needs. He added: 'Liverpool have got themselves in a position where I don’t think they’re going to have any choice but to overpay for players. They need too many players, and so they are going to end up spending more money than they probably normally would or should. Liverpool are in a tough spot right now. They need half a dozen players, so they’ve got themselves in a position right now, the complete opposite of last year where they had money, they had the choice, they were going and getting who they wanted. This year, they’re scratching around, and I just hope they’ve got some players up their sleeve, because right now, we’re way too close to the start of the season, and Liverpool don’t have enough players, in my opinion, right now.'
With less than a month until the new Premier League season, Liverpool face a race against time to secure key signings. Barcola remains a target, but the £145m fee may prove prohibitive.
