‘Breakthrough in talks’ – Fabrizio Romano’s Thursday update is great news for Liverpool & Bradley Barcola

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Empire of the Kop

·30 luglio 2026

‘Breakthrough in talks’ – Fabrizio Romano’s Thursday update is great news for Liverpool & Bradley Barcola

PSG are closing in on the signing of Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco this summer.

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Fabrizio Romano reports on X (formerly Twitter) that the Ligue 1 champions are at the “final stages” of an agreement to sign the talented attacker.

Liverpool had been recently linked to the France international; however, their current efforts are focused on acquiring compatriot Bradley Barcola.

Maghnes Akliouche set to sign for PSG this summer

It’s another quality option off the table for Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool but it just might represent a net positive as far as our efforts to sign Barcola are concerned.

🚨🔴🔵 EXCL: Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco reach breakthrough in talks for Maghnes Akliouche! Agreement now at final stages between clubs. Details to be sorted and then here we go expected next. 🇫🇷
– giovedì 30 luglio 2026

It’s a body in through the door for PSG, who had been hoping to also sign Yan Diomande (now set to link up with Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid).

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But more to the point, it’s the kind of signing that might help make Liverpool’s point when it comes to negotiating an acceptable fee in the summer transfer window.

PSG can’t demand big money for Barcola and pay half for Akliouche

According to reports coming out of France (L’Equipe via GFFN), PSG recently had a bid of €45m [£38.5m] rejected for Maghnes Akliouche. Monaco, on their end, are understood to be looking for a figure closer to €70m [£59.9m] to allow the Frenchman to make the switch to Paris.

Now, even if we assume that PSG caved and agreed to supply the better part of £60m to snap up the Ligue 1 star, we’re struggling to see how the French champions have a leg to stand on when it comes to valuing Bradley Barcola at a reported £145m.

Liverpool, of course, have absolutely no intention of meeting this figure, and it’s a stance we strongly support here at Empire of the Kop.

Logically speaking, how can PSG set a £145m price point when Akliouche, another prominent French talent, has amassed more minutes than Barcola this term?

PSG might argue that their No.29 should be considered a more “premium” talent who’s had to compete for minutes with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But their preference there in that duel should further cement the idea that he’s not considered a key fixture in the starting-XI. Certainly not when it comes to the most important games in PSG’s season, with Bradley Barcola not starting a single Champions League game after the last 16.

Also, if we’re going to play the game of using Elliot Anderson (£116m) and Morgan Rogers (£117m) as markers, we don’t see why Liverpool can’t use Akliouche’s price tag to influence negotiations.