Barcola’s Liverpool transfer dream laid bare as Reds ready gigantic second offer

Liverpool are ready to launch a mammoth second bid for Bradley Barcola following talks with PSG over a potential deal – while the winger’s long-term ambitions to play for the Merseyside giants have been revealed by a former coach.

The Reds are determined to bring the 23-year-old to Anfield this summer as a big-name replacement for Mohamed Salah in attack. And while the route out of Paris Saint-Germain has been cleared thanks to three high-profile arrivals in Luis Enrique’s frontline, the European champions are not making life a piece of cake for Liverpool.

Indeed, the Reds have already seen one bid knocked back for Barcola, with the Ligue 1 kings – buoyed by some of the incredible fees being slapped around the Premier League this season – determined to secure a British record fee for the 28-cap France star.

While an opening offer worth around £98m (€115m, $134m) was quickly rejected and hit with a demand for nearer £145m (€170m, $196m), talks between the two parties have continued as they aim to find common ground.

Now, with Liverpool transfer officials in the French capital for extensive negotiations, we brought you the news on Monday that the Reds have at least taken one step towards a deal by agreeing personal terms with the player on a long-term deal at Anfield.

Per French source Foot1, Liverpool’s next offer will be worth €135m (£115m, $156m) – and the Reds hope that will do the trick amid growing claims that Barcola has now set his heart on a move to Anfield.

That aligns with our exclusive report from June 13, which insisted Barcola was clear in his mind that he wanted out of Paris, and now one of the player’s former coaches has made it crystal clear just how keen the winger is to join the Reds…

READ MORE ~ Revealed: Why Bradley Barcola has just requested PSG exit, as Liverpool ready move

Barcola has long dreamed of Liverpool transfer

Indeed, former Lyon youth-team coach Amaury Barlet knows Barcola better than most, having first begun guiding the player from the tender age of 11 when he joined their academy.

Barlet, who also moulded the likes of Rayan Cherki and Malo Gusto through their early development, admits Barcola stood out from a young age, as he explained the qualities he could bring to Liverpool.

“The first time I met Bradley Barcola was when I started coaching at Olympique Lyonnais, with the U12 and U13 age groups,” Barlet told RedMenTV.

“Bradley was playing with the U11s at the time. He was already a striker with a real instinct for goal. He could score from so many different positions and in so many different ways spontaneously after a dribble, with acrobatic finishes, and sometimes in situations where you wouldn’t necessarily expect a goal.

“What struck me straight away was that he always loved playing football. He had that natural ability to create imbalance, to take players on, and above all, a real sense for scoring goals.”

On his best strengths, he continued: “He is a player who has always been attracted to attacking space. When he was younger, he faced defenders who were stronger and faster, so he was always looking for a strategy to get in behind his opponent.

“Because he always wanted to sprint slightly early, he was often offside or right on the limit of being offside. He was often caught, but it was a quality that absolutely had to be preserved, and it would make the difference when he was older, once the physical gap was more balanced.

“Today, players who are capable of attacking the space behind a defence through their runs and of repeating those runs are players who have a huge influence on the game.

“He is a player who doesn’t look to dribble past just one player, but who looks to beat an entire line of defenders. He is capable of doing this through his quality of first touch and acceleration, as well as through his direct runs and his particular style of dribbling.

“He has a lot of variety in his game and is capable of playing in every attacking position. He is a player who creates imbalance, who finds solutions in possession against very low defensive blocks, and who is very effective in quick attacks.”

Barlet also revealed that Barcola had a long-standing interest in Liverpool, having followed them closely as a young boy.

“He is still a very young player and has a huge amount of room for improvement. When he was younger, he followed Liverpool FC a lot. That club was always somewhere in the back of his mind.”

Whether PSG accept Liverpool’s imminent next offer remains to be seen, though there appears to be growing confidence that a deal ‘will get done’ after a well-informed journalist shared why he believes it’s a case of ‘when, not if’ Barcola signs.

Another reporter, meanwhile, has shared the ‘tactic’ he believes the Reds will employ to ensure a mammoth deal gets done for some distance below PSG’s asking price.