Bradley Barcola: the most expensive transfer of this summer window?

Liverpool F.C. And Arsenal are among the clubs chasing Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola, who could be the most expensive transfer of this summer window. But why is he so prized? He has achieved plenty already. But there is more to come.

The 23-year-old France international has just won the Champions League with PSG back-to-back but had to be content with coming off the bench in both finals. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's arrival from Napoli in January 2025 established him as first choice on the left. But just because Barcola is not a guaranteed starter in Paris does not mean that he is not a guaranteed star. This is a player with pace, physicality and intelligence, someone whose skills have been honed under Luis Enrique. With Barcola, the potential is as vast as the fee.

For a player so highly rated, Barcola's rise has been serendipitous. At Lyon, he was on the fringes of the first team under France legend Laurent Blanc until a player exit changed everything. "That was a turning point," Jean-Francois Vulliez told reporters. "A club in Switzerland was interested because he was not playing for the first team. At that time, Blanc was the coach and we had Karl Toko Ekambi. But he decided he wanted to leave so the coach decided to stop the loan because we might need Bradley.

Vulliez explained: "It was a key moment because he realised that if Toko Ekambi left, Bradley could be a solution and there was an opportunity to use him. Toko Ekambi did leave. Bradley stayed. One match later, there was an injury and Laurent needed him."

Why it matters for Liverpool F.C.

Having worked with Barcola as a boy in Lyon's academy, Vulliez knows him well. In fact, he actually followed Barcola to PSG and now works as a development coach for the French and European champions. In his job, he has seen plenty of standout youngsters. But Barcola was not necessarily one of them. He was a talent, for sure. But this level of success? That was not obvious.

"He was a normal kid, he never played above his age category, never jumped a stage. His maturation was a normal process," he explained. "It is an interesting pathway because every player is different. Sometimes, there are players like Kylian Mbappe who mature very early. Others need time. Bradley never played for France's age-group teams. He was a good player but not physically ready.

"We were very patient with him at Lyon because we knew he had the skills, we just had to wait for that maturation process, that psychological maturation, that physical maturation. When that transformation eventually happens, they will improve quickly."

Following Toko Ekambi's exit, Barcola scored five goals in nine games in early 2023 and after impressing for his country at that summer's European Under-21 Championship, there came a protracted move to PSG. "His body was in Lyon but his head was in Paris." The three seasons that have followed have brought 13 trophies and 39 goals in over 150 appearances.

League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): Liverpool F.C. Are 5th in the Premier League, with 60 points from 38 games, and are 25 points behind leaders Arsenal. Goals this season: 63 scored, 53 conceded (+10 goal difference).