It's happening, Bradley Barcola is coming to Liverpool

Bradley Barcola looks destined to join Liverpool.

If Liverpool are serious about building a team capable of thriving under Andoni Iraola, then Barcola should be near the top of the club's transfer shortlist this summer.

Iraola's football is built around speed, directness and intensity. His teams look to win the ball back quickly and attack before opponents have a chance to reset. That means wide players become absolutely crucial. They need to be quick enough to exploit space, brave enough to take defenders on and intelligent enough to make the right decisions in transition.

Barcola ticks every box.

The French winger is one of the most exciting young attackers in Europe because of his ability to carry the ball at pace and create danger in one-on-one situations. He's at his best when driving directly at defenders, which makes him a perfect fit for the vertical style Iraola likes to implement. Rather than slowing attacks down, Barcola constantly looks to move play forward.

His work rate is also tailor made for the Spanish coach's system. Iraola demands intensity from his forwards, both in and out of possession. Pressing is non-negotiable in his system, and Barcola has shown he has the athleticism and energy required to contribute defensively as well as offensively playing in an intense PSG team under Luis Enrique.

With Mohamed Salah gone, Liverpool are losing a huge amount of pace, creativity and goal threat in the final third. Replacing a player of Salah's calibre with one signing is impossible, but Barcola has the profile to become one of the key pieces of a new-look attack alongside Yan Diomande, who the Reds are also prioritising.

At just 23, Barcola would also fit Liverpool's long-term vision. He's got everything to be an absolute superstar.

Alongside Diomande, Barcola could be the new face of the Reds.

The only tricky part is obviously signing him. Paris Saint Germain will be reluctant to sell such a prized and key asset. Barcola may not be a starter but he is very valuable off the bench and he still plays a lot of games for the French side - he finished as the club's top-scorer in Ligue 1.

Selling Barcola just doesn't seem like something PSG would want to do. However, they might not have a choice.

Barcola is entering the prime years of his career and he doesn't want to be just a useful player off the bench. He will have his own ambitions and he will want to become a superstar in his own right.

In order to do that, he is going to need to go somewhere else. PSG have Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, who are favoured over him on the wings.

Barcola is never going to be a star player, and he's now entering the final two years of his contract with the club. This summer is the time for him to move.

TEAMtalk has reported that Barcola has communicated to PSG that he wants to leave the club. This is an important step.

Ben Jacobs has reported that he is on Liverpool's and Arsenal's radar.

But the latest update from David Ornstein would suggest, there's only one likely club he is heading to among those two suitors and it's Liverpool.

Ornstein reported in The Athletic that Arsenal have made an approach to sign Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge on Friday night. He also added that this is a move that does not have an impact on the Gunners' pursuit of Morgan Rogers, who they also want.

Now why would Arsenal sign two left-sided attackers in Tzolis and Rogers and bring Barcola on top of that. And why would Barcola want to do that when he wants to be a starter?

It's why these latest updates make it clear, Barcola is likely to join Liverpool this summer.

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