‘From what I hear’ – Liverpool ‘priority’ signing is not currently Bradley Barcola | OneFootball

Liverpool are more interested in bringing a centre-back to Anfield than Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, according to reports.

The Reds have so far brought in Victor Munoz from Osasuna in a deal worth €40m, while Jeremy Jacquet has finally completed a move from Rennes, which was sealed back in the winter.

Liverpool are looking to sign another new winger after Mohamed Salah was allowed to leave at the end of the season so that he can pursue a new challenge.

RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande was their initial top choice but the Ivory Coast international is now set to join Real Madrid this summer.

PSG star Barcola is their new top choice to replace Salah with Fabrizio Romano explaining that the France international is “very tempted” to join Liverpool.

Romano said on his latest YouTube video: “Liverpool want Barcola and see him as one of their top priorities. Barcola wants Liverpool. He loves the project and is very tempted by the opportunity to join the club.

“Personal terms are not expected to be a problem. There is confidence an agreement can be reached with the player.

“The issue remains between the clubs because negotiations over the transfer fee have not yet been completed.

“The only significant development in recent days is that Barcola will not sign a new contract at Paris Saint-Germain, which naturally makes an exit easier.

“However, PSG still value him extremely highly. They know Europe’s biggest clubs are looking for elite young wingers and they see Barcola as one of the very best.

“They will demand a huge fee, so it is now up to Liverpool to decide whether they can match PSG’s valuation.

“I don’t expect any issues with the player himself, but Liverpool will continue working over the coming days and weeks to see whether an agreement with PSG is possible.”

Despite that, former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown insists that people inside the industry have told him that a centre-back is currently their top priority over attacking reinforcements.

Brown told Football Insider: “There’s been lots of talk about attacking reinforcements at Liverpool. But from what I hear, their top priority is going to be bringing in another centre-back, because it’s a position they want to address before the Premier League season starts.

“Even last summer, they wanted to bring in a new defender and they wanted Marc Guehi, they missed out eventually but that hasn’t changed their desire to sign a centre-back. When you look at their current options, Konate has moved on, Van Dijk is getting older and wasn’t his usual self last season, then they’ve brought Jacquet in who is unproven.

“Joe Gomez is the other option, but after he picked up an injury in their pre-season game the other day, there’s an even greater need to sign a new defender. The manager has assessed his squad, he knows what he wants, and the addition of a top-class centre-back is going to be crucial for them.

“I have no doubt they want to strengthen out wide and that’s why Barcola is being spoken about, but they have to prioritise bringing in a centre-back, or they will be at risk.”