Manchester City's decision to pay £116m for Elliot Anderson hasn't just reshaped their own squad — it's handed Liverpool a headache they didn't need. PSG are now using that fee as a pricing benchmark for Bradley Barcola, and the Reds are the ones who'll feel it most.
David Ornstein reported in The Athletic that PSG "do not need to sell" Barcola, even with his contract expiring in two years and the player refusing to negotiate an extension. The €74m Gonçalo Ramos sale to Milan has taken the financial pressure off. PSG's position? The speculated market rate "is way off" — and Anderson's price tag just gave them the ammunition to demand more.
Liverpool already showed their hand with a €100m (£87m) bid for RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande, their first-choice target for the right wing vacancy left by Mohamed Salah. That bid went nowhere — Leipzig don't want to sell, and Diomande's own preference is PSG anyway. So now the Reds are chasing Barcola with less leverage than they'd like, at a moment when every club in Europe knows what City will spend on a midfielder.
The alternative options aren't straightforward either
According to Ornstein's colleague Gregg Evans, Liverpool are "halfway there" in their wide player search after wrapping up Victor Munoz. The remaining targets under consideration — Yankuba Minteh, Said El Mala of FC Köln, and Lille's Matias Fernandez-Pardo — are achievable at around £60m, but each comes with its own complications.
El Mala is arguably the most interesting of the three. Nineteen years old, 13 Bundesliga goals from 20 starts last season, averaging just 58 minutes per appearance. The numbers are genuinely eye-catching. The problem? His family, who represent both Said and his older brother Malek, have reportedly made it a condition that both players move together. Malek has never played above Germany's third tier and almost certainly couldn't obtain a UK work permit. That effectively shuts the Premier League door for Said unless something changes on the family's end.
Sky Sports Germany's Marlon Irlbacher confirmed El Mala "is still aiming for a move this summer", but the path to England looks blocked for reasons that have nothing to do with football.
Bouaddi is available — but so is everyone else
The more exciting name in Liverpool's orbit is Ayyoub Bouaddi. The 18-year-old Lille midfielder announced himself to a global audience with a dominant World Cup display against Brazil, and journalist Ben Jacobs reports for GiveMeSport that Lille are "ready to sell" — with Liverpool, City, Arsenal, United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid all circling.
Lille's asking price reflects that queue: a minimum of €80m, rising to €100m for an immediate transfer rather than a loan-back arrangement. City are described as "one of Bouaddi's most active suitors", with Sam Lee's Athletic report noting they're open to loaning him back to Lille for a season — and intriguingly, they're considering him as a right-back option given their struggles to find one at a reasonable price.
For Liverpool, who also need to address right-back after a difficult season in that position, the competition for Bouaddi at that price point is severe. When Real Madrid and Bayern enter the room, the Reds' offer has to be compelling on more than financial terms alone.
Curtis Jones update
Nottingham Forest have entered the picture for Curtis Jones, with Ben Jacobs confirming genuine interest following their record sale of Elliot Anderson to City. Liverpool are asking £40m for the 25-year-old, who has one year left on his deal.
Inter Milan already walked away from that valuation. Sporting director Piero Ausilio was candid: "There's a significant gap between our assessments and Liverpool's." Forest may do the same, with Jacobs floating Lucas Bergvall as an alternative for them.
Liverpool's position is straightforward enough — meet the price or Jones stays, with a contract extension not ruled out. Given what Iraola might make of him in a settled system, that option isn't as unappealing as it sounds.
- Virgil van Dijk has been linked with Galatasaray by Turkish outlets, though the reporting ranges from "preliminary talks with his agent" to "a world star is coming" — draw your own conclusions about reliability.
- Japanese outlet Nikkan Sports claims Liverpool are interested in Mainz midfielder Kaishu Sano, who scored against Alisson in Japan's World Cup exit. Worth monitoring if more credible sources pick it up.
- Alex Scott of Bournemouth — an Iraola favourite — is reportedly not available this summer, with Bournemouth having "no intention of selling" during this window.
- Neco Williams looks set to stay at Nottingham Forest, with Fabrizio Romano reporting advanced talks over a new deal that would end any lingering talk of an Anfield return.
The Anderson fee was always going to ripple outward. Liverpool are finding out exactly how far those ripples reach.
