£87m “superstar” is a priority target for Liverpool

It’s the Andoni Iraola era at Liverpool. The Spanish coach is set to succeed Arne Slot at Anfield following FSG’s tough decision: sacking the man who secured for the club a Premier League title only 13 months ago.

But much has changed on Merseyside since then, and Liverpool only just secured Champions League football through a fifth-place finish. It’s not good enough, and the writing was on the wall for Slot after too many wheels spun off the train.

Iraola, 43, has done fine work in the Premier League with Bournemouth, transforming a supposedly pragmatic outfit into one of the most progressive and entertaining sides in England. They finished seventh this season, securing European football for the first time in their history.

Mohamed Salah is off, quitting a year ahead of schedule, while Hugo Ekitike isn’t going to be making a competitive appearance any time soon as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles.

Yan Diomande is Liverpool’s top target, but who else might join the Anfield side?

Liverpool make Diomande alternative a priority target

Diomande, 19, is gaining quite the following after an exemplary breakout year with RB Leipzig, who he joined from Leganes in Spain last summer.

The Ivory Coast winger scored 13 goals and supplied ten assists this term, so fast and physical, so tailored toward world-class potential.

He will cost suitors around £87m this summer, and Liverpool are joined by Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in the race.

Liverpool need several wingers this summer. On the left, Cody Gakpo is staying, but Luis Diaz has not been replaced after being sold to Bayern for £65.5m last summer.

If Liverpool decide to head down a different track, PSG’s Bradley Barcola could be the perfect alternative. According to ESPNthe France international is emerging as a priority target for FSG, with his contract impasse in Paris suggesting that a deal could be struck.

Valued at £87m, the 23-year-old is one of the most talented up-and-coming wingers in the world, someone who plays off the left but is comfortable anywhere across the frontline.

It’s unlikely that Liverpool would land both him and Diomande this summer, but signing the French attacker would hardly be bad news for an outfit targeting a title-winning resurgence.

After all, you might say that Barcola is the best of Diaz and Diomande.

Why Barcola is the best of Diaz and Diomande

Across the past two seasons for Paris Saint-Germain, Barcola has scored 34 goals and provided 28 assists, mesmerising down the left wing.

6 feet tall, he is unusual in that he brings a rangy kind of dribbling style to his side, capable of beating the toughest of defenders and shimmying through on goal.

In that, he shares similarities with Diomande and Diaz, both of whom are among the more explosive Bundesliga wingers. He is also conservative in carrying the ball forward, picking and choosing, but like a ticking time bomb, you know he could surge forward at any given moment.

Moreover, Barcola, regarded as a “superstar” by one Liverpool writer, is comfortable across a range of positions. This is something that Slot cherished in a forward (look at how Diaz served as an unconventional frontman during the 2024/25 season), and is something that Iraola likes in his attackers too, using Antoine Semenyo across both wings and in a central striking berth during their time together at the Vitality Stadium.

Already considered “one of the best wingers in the world” by analyst and scout Ben Mattinson, Barcola would be a fantastic addition to Liverpool’s left wing. With Ekitike sidelined, Gakpo could feature as a striker at times next season, and the 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha’s game time needs to be carefully managed, as talented as he might be.

Liverpool are in a period of transition, but Iraola has earned his flowers in the Premier League, and by bringing a robust and tenacious forward like Barcola over to the club, his high-octane system might just fire on all cylinders from the get-go.

Diomande would be an exciting addition, but Barcola has just as much potential, if not more.