Liverpool’s £100m Barcola Deal Impacts Gakpo's Future
Liverpool’s long pursuit of Bradley Barcola has finally broken through the Parisian resistance – and it comes with a clear consequence for Cody Gakpo.
After weeks of negotiations, The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed on Thursday morning that Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have agreed a fee for Barcola, with the move now into its final stretch. The France international has been Liverpool’s priority for the left wing, a player they have tracked for a long time and identified as the ideal piece to elevate their attack.
Fabrizio Romano has now stamped his trademark seal on the deal. In his latest YouTube update, the Italian transfer specialist confirmed his “here we go”, outlining an agreement in principle between the clubs and stressing that all sides are “happy” with the outcome.
The structure is clear. Liverpool will pay £100m as a guaranteed fee to PSG, with additional add-ons built into the package. Sources at the French club, Romano reported, believe the total figure with bonuses will reach around €140m. For PSG, it is a huge return. For Liverpool, it is the price of securing a winger they regard as one of the very best in the world. For Barcola, it is the move he wanted.
The next steps are procedural. Documents will be drawn up, exchanged and checked by the lawyers. Once that legal traffic clears, Barcola will be authorised to travel to Liverpool for his medical and to sign his contract. The deal, long trailed and often doubted, is now on the home straight.
At various points, noise from France and England suggested Barcola was going nowhere. Reports insisted PSG would not sell, that the player was off the market, that it would take a fantasy figure of €170m to even start a conversation. Romano, though, consistently maintained that Liverpool had not walked away and that any eventual agreement would not reach that inflated number. Liverpool, he said, had originally targeted Barcola for summer 2025. Instead, they have accelerated the plan and landed him now.
What Happens Next with Cody Gakpo?
All of which leads to the obvious question: what happens next with Cody Gakpo?
The Dutchman’s future has been a live topic all summer. Tottenham have circled, and now Manchester City have joined the conversation. Both clubs, Romano says, remain in constant contact to gauge the conditions of a possible deal.
Behind the scenes, the groundwork is already there. Gakpo has an agreement with Tottenham, while his representatives are also in talks with Manchester City. The decision now sits at the intersection of Liverpool’s planning and the player’s own ambitions.
Liverpool’s transfer strategy makes the picture sharper. The club have not just moved for Barcola; they have also tested the market for a second winger in case Gakpo departs. Bids for Yankuba Minteh have been rejected, and enquiries have gone in for Ismaila Sarr. Those moves are not random. They are insurance.
Romano was blunt about the fork in the road. If Gakpo goes – to Tottenham or to Manchester City – Liverpool will push to add another winger on top of Barcola. If he stays, the club are prepared to go into the season with their current attacking options, bolstered by their new marquee arrival from Paris.
So Liverpool stand at a decisive moment. Barcola is on his way, the fee is set, the lawyers are at work. The front line is being reshaped in real time.
Now the next domino waits: does Cody Gakpo stay to fight for his place, or does he become the high-profile casualty of Liverpool’s latest statement signing?
