Bradley Barcola now DESTINED to join Liverpool | OneFootball

Bradley Barcola feels like a certainty to join Liverpool amid the latest report over his future.

Let's face it despite all the investment in 2025, Richard Hughes is not going to be slowing down in 2026 either.

He has brought in a number of exciting players but the squad is far from perfect and there are plenty of areas where there is room for improvement.

Right now, Liverpool have a squad that is full of stars but also full of imbalance lacking key profiles needed for Arne Slot's system to work.

Look at his team at Feyenoord and you can see that he's always had speedy wingers and a very direct approach.

This current team definitely lacks the same amount of intensity and speed required for Slot's system to work.

Recently, Slot admitted that he wanted to add more pace into his side and praised Hugo Ekitike for his speed.

“That was one of the things I wanted to add to this team – incredible pace," Slot told Sky Sports.

“Because I see many of the top teams have one, two, three individuals that have pace that is exceptional.

“We faced Paris Saint-Germain last season, where we had to face (Ousmane) Dembele, (Bradley) Barcola, (Desire) Doue – all these incredibly fast players.

“So that is what we’ve tried to add with him.”

The mention of Paris Saint Germain is interesting. The mention of Barcola is even more intriguing because he is a player Slot has been keen on bringing to Liverpool.

He is a player who Liverpool have wanted to sign for a long-time. Fabrizio Romano confirmed Liverpool's interest almost three years ago in the winger while he was still at Lyon back in April 2023.

Last summer, Anfield Watch understands Liverpool explored a move for Barcola and he is someone who remains on the club's radar. He is well appreciated by the Reds' recruitment team.

One of the reasons behind this is due to his speed, Barcola ranked among the top 11 players for the highest top-speeds recorded in the Champions League last season (35.6km/h).

This season, he ranks in third place (35.9km/h).

He's clearly one of the fastest wingers in Europe. What's also admirable is his ability to get into the box. He ranks in the 99th percentile for touches in the opposition's penalty area, and regularly gets in dangerous areas where he can make maximum impact.

At 23-years-old, it's easy to see why Liverpool have him on their radar and it feels like 2026 could finally be the time for him to join the Reds.

© IMAGO - Bradley Barcola Liverpool

Over the course of the last year, Barcola has been in negotiations with Paris Saint Germain over a new contract. So, far those negotiations have stalled.

Barcola's place in the team has also been reduced with the arrival of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and the emergence of Ibrahim Mbaye, which has led to the Frenchman not having a guaranteed place in the starting line-up.

Ultimately, Barcola seems uncertain about continuing with PSG and looks open to another challenge.

The latest confirmation comes from a L'Equipe journalist who admitted that Barcola could be a 'real topic' to leave PSG in the summer of 2026.

From Slot's mention, the club's admiration of the player, the fact that Liverpool are still looking at signing wingers and Barcola being available, everything just points towards this deal being one that will happen in the summer.