Liverpool learn immediate PSG response to Barcola approach as four sources share updates on £127.5m links

Paris Saint-Germain continue to insist Bradley Barcola is ‘off limits’ this summer after our exclusive reveal this week that Liverpool had made fresh contact over his signing, and with a well-informed journalist explaining why he expects the saga to prove “one of the stories of the summer”.

The Reds are seeking an heir to the iconic Mohamed Salah in attack. While it was announced in April that Salah would be leaving Anfield for good this summer, Liverpool had been planning for several months on signing his replacement, with the Egyptian superstar enduring something of a decline across his final season with the club.

Sadly, their number one target – and the player they had been working on signing since last December, Yan Diomande – has decided he wants to join PSG, with the Reds now forced to look into several other top targets.

And with admiration for Barcola charting back to last summer, Liverpool are now raising the stakes to try and persuade the France star to quit the reigning European champions and move to Anfield.

The early signs look good. Sources have revealed to TEAMtalk that Barcola had already expressed concerns to Luis Enrique about his reduced minutes at the Parc des Princes, where he has fallen down the order behind Desire Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele.

And their plans to sign both Diomande and Maghnes Akliouche threaten to further limit his game time next season.

Sensing an opportunity, our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher exclusively revealed this week that Liverpool have made fresh contact over a potential move for the 27-cap France star. Better yet, FSG have been buoyed by the player’s verdict on a prospective move to Merseyside.

In light of that approach, though, talkSPORT now reports that the French giants have hit back by declaring the 23-year-old is strictly ‘off limits’ this summer.

However, L’Equipe insists Paris Saint-Germain could consider his sale, but will demand Liverpool break their transfer record for a deal, demanding a whopping €150m (£127.5m, $172m) fee for his services if they are to let him leave.

Either way, the Daily Mail’s Merseyside correspondent, Lewis Steele, is expecting the saga to run and run…

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Liverpool’s pursuit of Barcola is the ‘story of the summer’

Earlier this month, Steele had explained how he’d heard that Arsenal were leading the pursuit for the PSG star, though, by his own admission, was unsure if the Gunners had the financial capabilities of landing both Barcola and Morgan Rogers, with the £130m-rated Aston Villa man their undisputed number one priority.

Either way, and in light of our revelation that Liverpool officials had made contact this week over a deal, Steele is not expecting the saga to be resolved quickly and believes it could rumble on for much of the summer, and in the same way it did last year for Alexander Isak.

Speaking on the Anfield Index podcast, Steele began: “There’s an awful lot of ifs, buts and maybes with this one.

“The Barcola one is interesting because his situation is still quite fluid.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen with that just yet.”

Discussing the strong interest in the player, he added: “Liverpool, Arsenal, now maybe if you throw Bayern Munich into the mix as well, it’s going to be fascinating to see how that one unfolds.

Despite those rivals, Steele could not identify any club holding a decisive advantage.

“I wouldn’t really say anyone’s massively ahead from what I’ve heard in the race right now in terms of Liverpool and Arsenal.”

Steele is also unsure of Liverpool and PSG’s exact stance over a deal and posed two questions.

“Are PSG going to allow him to go? Are Liverpool going to pay the money that PSG would want if he was to go?

“We just don’t know yet.”

Expecting a long-drawn-out saga, Steele concluded: “I think that’s going to be the story of the summer transfer window, whatever way it goes.”

Whatever happens with Barcola, former Reds defender Stephen Warnock has exclusively revealed to us that he is one of three huge signings that new boss Andoni Iraola must 100% demand this summer.

He’s not the only PSG star the Reds are being linked with either, with Liverpool backed to reunite Iraola with a beast of a star, amid claims the manager ’likes him’ and ‘a deal makes sense’.

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