Liverpool Eyes Bradley Barcola to Bolster Attack
Liverpool is reportedly preparing to make another significant investment in its squad, potentially paying over £100 million for forward Bradley Barcola. The young player transferred from Lyon to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023 for a fee believed to be £38.5 million. Although Barcola primarily plays as a left winger and favors his right foot, he is also capable of playing on the right side or as a central forward.
Following the departure of Mohamed Salah, who left on a free transfer at the end of last season, Liverpool recognizes the urgent need to enhance their attacking options.
At first glance, Barcola appears to be a logical replacement for Luis Diaz, particularly given analytical data suggesting he could seamlessly fill that role. According to Opta’s player similarity model, Barcola matched Diaz’s performance most closely among wingers across Europe’s top five leagues in the 2025-26 season, with a 78% similarity rating. He outperformed other notable players like Salah and Vinicius Junior, who had 65% and 61% ratings, respectively.
However, a deeper analysis indicates that acquiring Barcola would not merely mean swapping one winger for another. While he is classified as a left winger, his playing style aligns more closely with that of a center-forward.
Barcola showcased impressive offensive activity last season, averaging 3.5 shots per 90 minutes in Ligue 1, placing him among the league’s most prolific shooters despite operating primarily from wider positions. His expected goals (xG) total of 9.83 ranked in the 95th percentile among wingers in Europe, demonstrating his ability to consistently find prime scoring opportunities. Notably, no player from PSG or any Ligue 1 winger had a higher xG total during the 2025-26 campaign.
Additionally, Barcola recorded an average of 8.69 touches in the opponent’s penalty area per 90 minutes, ranking him seventh among over 1,500 eligible players. This statistic underscores his tendency to position himself in critical goal-scoring areas.
As Liverpool looks to strengthen its attack, Barcola’s profile and performance data make him an attractive prospect for the club’s future success.
Liverpool have twice paid more than £100m for players – midfielder Florian Wirtz and striker Alexander Isak – and could be about to do so again.
Bradley Barcola moved to Paris St-Germain from Lyon in 2023 for a reported £38.5m fee. He is right footed, although he prefers to play on the left wing, but he can also play on the right or through the middle.
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With Mohamed Salah leaving on a free transfer at the end of last season, Liverpool clearly need to strengthen their attack.
At first glance, Barcola looks like the natural successor to Luis Diaz, with the underlying data suggesting the forward could fill that void.
Opta’s player similarity model rated him as the winger whose output most closely resembled Diaz’s across Europe’s top five leagues in 2025-26 (78%), with Salah (65%), Lamine Yamal (61%) and Vinicius Junior (61%) the next closest matches.
A closer look, however, suggests Liverpool would not simply be replacing one winger with another.
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Barcola is a left winger by trade, but his game is shaped by a centre-forward’s instincts.
Last season, he averaged 3.5 shots per 90 minutes in Ligue 1, placing him among the division’s most active shooters despite operating from wide areas.
His 9.83 expected goals (xG) ranked in the 95th percentile among wingers across Europe’s top five leagues, meaning only around 5% of wide players consistently found themselves in better goalscoring positions.
In addition, no PSG player or Ligue 1 winger recorded a higher xG total during the 2025-26 campaign.
He also averaged 8.69 touches in the opposition penalty area per 90 minutes – the seventh-highest figure among more than 1,500 eligible players – reinforcing the profile of a winger who consistently occupies goalscoring positions.
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