Liverpool have been told in no uncertain terms that their reported £85 million opening offer for PSG and France winger Bradley Barcola will not be enough to shift the European champions.
Journalist Dave Davis insists the Reds need to go well beyond £120 million if they are serious about replacing Mohamed Salah this summer.
Davis, speaking on the Anfield Index YouTube show, was unambiguous about where Liverpool stand. He described Barcola as the club’s clear number-one target in attack and called the £85m figure, cited in French reports as an imminent offer, insufficient. His view is that PSG will demand more than £120m, and that Liverpool should stop wasting time and get a proper bid on the table now.
TEAMtalk, which has been tracking this story, framed Davis’s comments as a direct challenge to FSG’s transfer strategy. The situation is complicated further by Liverpool’s failed pursuit of RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, who has made clear his preference is PSG. That leaves Barcola at the front of the queue by default as much as by design.
What PSG Will Actually Accept For Bradley Barcola
Davis was candid that putting a firm price on Barcola is difficult, but the floor is clearly somewhere north of the £85m mooted so far. His read is that PSG’s valuation sits above £120 million, which would make any completed deal a record-breaking purchase for Liverpool. The 23-year-old is contracted to PSG until June 2028, giving Paris all the leverage on timeline.
That contract security, combined with Barcola’s Champions League winner’s medal and standout form last season, means PSG are under no financial pressure to sell. The player’s reported concern about his dwindling minutes at the European champions has prompted exit conversations, according to TEAMtalk, but that does not automatically translate into a forced sale at any fee Liverpool might prefer.
Pedro Neto As Plan B: Why Davis Isn’t Convinced
TEAMtalk reported in early July that Liverpool are working with agent Jorge Mendes on winger options, with Chelsea’s Pedro Neto among the names in circulation. Davis confirmed the Portuguese winger is on FSG’s radar and could emerge as a fallback if the Barcola pursuit stalls. His personal verdict on that scenario was blunt: he does not want to see it happen.
That is an opinion, not a transfer fact, but it reflects a broader point. Liverpool’s stated ambition this summer is to sign a winger who can genuinely fill the creative and goal-threat void Salah leaves. Neto is a capable player, but Davis’s argument is that settling for him while Barcola remains available would be a failure of ambition.
Arsenal And Manchester City Add To The Competition For Yan Diomande
Liverpool are not operating in a vacuum here. Davis himself noted that Arsenal and Manchester City have both made real inquiries about Diomande, showing the top end of the winger market is heavily contested this window. That suits PSG perfectly, since the more clubs competing for both players, the higher the price climbs on each.
Davis’s advice to Liverpool is straightforward. Don’t negotiate against yourselves by lowballing, don’t get sucked back into the Diomande saga, and don’t drift into a Plan B signing while the top target remains Barcola. Whether FSG are willing to shatter their transfer record to make it happen is the only question that matters now.
