Talks opened for £85m forward deal

Liverpool have secured the signing of Bradley Barcola.

The France international has agreed to join for a fee of around £123m overall after a deal was reached between the Reds and Paris Saint-Germain.

But Richard Hughes isn’t stopping there. At least one more forward is expected to arrive before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

Liverpool facing sales to pay for Barcola and one more

Yankuba Minteh and Ismaila Sarr are the names in the frame as the Liverpool sporting director and head coach Andoni Iraola head into a crucial 48 hours.

In order to accommodate these arrivals in the squad - and on the wage bill - outgoings will be necessary. We’ve seen the likes of Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa linked with the exit but neither of those is going to bring in a significant transfer fee.

The 2024/25 Premier League champions’ most bankable asset right now is Cody Gakpo - under contract until 2030 and earning £250k per week.

Gakpo to Man City talks are on

Tottenham and Manchester City are known to be keen on the Dutch international - who has started the season with a goal and an assist in two matches for Iraola.

BBC Sport is now reporting that City have entered talks with Liverpool over a deal for Gakpo - and it’s also been suggested that the 27-year-old is now determined to make the move to the Etihad.

“Manchester City have opened talks with Liverpool about signing attacker Cody Gakpo,” the report reads.

“City is Gakpo's preferred destination if he leaves Anfield before Tuesday's deadline.

“City made formal contact with Liverpool over a move on Saturday evening.”

Are Liverpool making a mistake in selling Gakpo?

Gakpo has been with Liverpool since joining from PSV for around £37m back in 2023. The versatile attacker starred in the 2024/25 title win under Arne Slot but like a lot of his teammates suffered a regression last term.

A renaissance of sorts began at the FIFA World Cup for the Netherlands and he has carried that form into the new season.

It now looks however that City will stand to benefit from that upsurge in form and not Liverpool as Richard Hughes seeks to address the spending deficit at Anfield.