Liverpool warned against £100m Bradley Barcola move as Jamie Carragher demands Reds focus on search for Mohamed Salah replacement

According to ESPN, Liverpool are preparing to make their first bid to sign Barcola, with PSG believed to value the winger at around €150m (£129m). However, the move for the French international has raised eyebrows because his natural position is on the left wing. That area is already heavily populated at Anfield with options like Cody Gakpo, talented youngster Rio Ngumoha and new signing Victor Munoz.

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Speaking to Sky Sports News, Liverpool legend Carragher suggested his former club should prioritise finding a successor for Salah on the right wing rather than signing Barcola. The former defender said: "He's a great player, there's no doubt about that - I'd love to get Barcola at Liverpool. But he's a left winger for me.

"Liverpool's big thing that stands out like a sore thumb right now is replacing Mo Salah, a right winger. And I don't think Liverpool have got anybody really in the squad who looks fully comfortable playing right wing.

"They probably have at least four players in the squad before Barcola joins, if he joins, who could play on the left-hand side comfortably.

"But if you're saying to me, do I want Barcola to come and Liverpool are going to sign a right winger as well? I'll be absolutely delighted because players would have to move on. Of course they would.

"But right now, I felt this summer would be about replacing Mo Salah. Barcola doesn't replace Mo Salah."

Carragher also highlighted how the arrival of an expensive player like Barcola could hinder the development pathway of 17-year-old talent Ngumoha, who recently scored in a pre-season match against Wrexham: "Rio's a young lad, he's really good. I think he's going to kick on from where he did last season. But that is a point: you're buying a really young player for a lot of money in Barcola, who's better than Rio Ngumoha right now.

"But you think eventually in the next year or two, Rio would want to be playing week in, week out for Liverpool. And that's up to him to prove it.

"So when you pay that type of money for a young player in his position, it does leave you scratching your head a little bit. There's talk that Rio Ngumoha could play on the right and get some minutes there. As a young player, that's fine, playing on both sides. But I think his position is the left wing now.

"But if they go out and get a player for the right wing, bring Barcola in and then sell a couple of the wide players that they have on the books right now, I think that'd be fantastic."

Liverpool management now face a crucial decision in the transfer window to balance the forward options in Andoni Iraola's squad, particularly in finding a natural right winger before the market closes. The Reds must act carefully to complete their transfer business and ensure team readiness before opening the 2026-27 Premier League season with an away fixture against Newcastle United on August 23.