Why Liverpool made £116m ‘superstar’ top target to replace Salah

Liverpool are on a roll, but FSG director of football Michael Edwards and Anfield sporting director Richard Hughes have quite a bit of work to do this summer.

For the second consecutive summer transfer window, the Reds have made significant changes. This time, the pressure is even higher, with Arne Slott’s tenure collapsing amid a record spending surge. Now Liverpool need to restore themselves to their perch.

That’s easier said than done, especially given the departures of Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate on free transfers.

How do we replace something that is irreplaceable? Liverpool’s decision-makers will have their jobs cut this summer. Despite already signing Victor Munoz for £34.5m, there is still plenty of work to do.

Liverpool set World Cup superstar as top target

Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League last season. They were extremely lucky to earn 60 points, enough for Europe’s top competition and qualify for the Champions League.

Salah refused, but he wasn’t the crux of the matter. At 34 years old, it’s no surprise, but Liverpool and FSG entered the summer market thinking they effectively needed a replacement for him, but so far they haven’t been able to do so, with Yann Diomand hoping to move to Paris Saint-Germain.

It’s not the end of the world. The Reds now have to change direction. With a number of exciting targets on the shortlist, the one and only Fabrizio Romano stepped in to confirm that Liverpool were pursuing one man above all others.

Romano said Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola is at the top of Liverpool’s summer shopping list after falling back in the race to sign Diomand, but they face stiff competition from Arsenal who still need a left-sided attacker this summer.

“According to my information, he is an important player for PSG, but he is not untouchable.

“This means that PSG would be happy to continue with him. But even if a big offer reaches the player and PSG, we still have to look at Barcola. There is also Liverpool, there is also Arsenal.”

“Barcola is Liverpool’s top target for a winger.”

Crucially, Arsenal’s priority is to sign Aston Villa’s Morgan Rodgers, and if Liverpool act quickly they could pull off a talismanic deal in the vein of Salah. Barcola is valued at more than £116m despite entering the penultimate year of his contract with PSG.

Why Barcola could be Liverpool’s new villain

Barcola is truly a rising star. He has already been described by analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson as “one of the best left wingers in the world” due to his performances at PSG over the past few years.

Barcola is the real deal and if he continues to develop over the next few years, he could establish himself as Salah’s successor at Liverpool.

It’s safe to say he won’t bring in too many goals, but Barcola has a unique approach to wing play and his language style is quite unique.

He has natural strengths in the final third and is versatile across the front, so it’s perhaps understandable that PSG would be demanding a nine-figure figure for his potential sale. In their minds, he is certainly “one of the best wingers” in the world.

After all, Liverpool have been urged to “sign a superstar” like Barcola this summer by Anfield Index’s Dave Hendrick, who believes his penchant for scoring from wide positions makes him “the closest thing” to Salah.

What’s most interesting is that Barcola hasn’t fully grown into the skin of a world-class attacker. There’s a rawness to his game that Iraola could mold into something special.

But when a player stars for two years in the best team of his generation, scoring 34 goals and providing a further 28 assists in all competitions, it’s clear he’s something special and could develop into something of a talisman for a club like Liverpool.

Can he emulate Salah? Barcola is agile and direct, but perhaps doesn’t have the same ferocious thirst for goals as he does (so who does?). Instead, he could pack a different kind of punch while becoming the focal point of Liverpool’s attack as they hope to get back to the top.

Salah is no longer under contract at Anfield, a strange fact that is difficult to accept, but if Barcola is brought into Iraola’s team at the start of a new era, the Reds could have a wide attacker who can become a superstar in his own right.