Liverpool transfer news: Richard Hughes reaches agreement to sign 39-goal forward

Liverpool have struck a brilliant agreement to sign an exciting forward.

This transfer window is becoming an increasingly uncomfortable one for Richard Hughes. With each passing week, the pressure grows, and Andoni Iraola's job becomes even more difficult.

Nobody expected the new Liverpool head coach to inherit a flawless squad.

There were obvious issues to address after last season, and that was precisely why this summer felt so important.

Hughes had the opportunity to reshape the team, add the right profiles and build a squad capable of matching Iraola's relentless, high-intensity style of football.

Instead, much of Liverpool's summer has been dominated by drawn-out pursuits. The club invested significant time trying to land Yan Diomande, only for the winger to reject the move.

Bradley Barcola remains a target, but Paris Saint-Germain have shown little willingness to lower their demands, leaving negotiations dragging on without any certainty that a deal will ever materialise.

While Liverpool have focused on those pursuits, many of the squad's existing weaknesses have gone unresolved.

With just over two weeks until the Premier League season gets underway, there are still major question marks across the squad. Depth is lacking in several key positions, and injuries have only made the situation more concerning.

The defence, in particular, is beginning to look alarmingly thin.

Jeremy Jacquet and Joe Gomez are both sidelined, leaving Virgil van Dijk short of experienced partners at the heart of the back line.

Giovanni Leoni is still recovering from the serious ACL injury that ended his previous campaign, while Conor Bradley is not expected to return for at least another couple of months.

That leaves Iraola facing the very real prospect of beginning his first Premier League season without a settled defence.

It is far from the ideal foundation for a manager whose demanding style relies on organisation, intensity and consistency. Hughes still has time to strengthen the squad before the transfer window closes, but the clock is ticking.

Unless Liverpool can turn interest into signings quickly, there is a growing risk that Iraola will be forced to start the season with a squad that simply isn't equipped for the challenge ahead.

Thankfully, there is still time left in the transfer window. Hughes has a few more weeks to get things right and invest across the squad in order to make sure Liverpool are heading to the season with a full arsenal.

If that is going to be the case, then Liverpool are going to have to start wrapping up signings pretty soon.

Given Hughes may need to sign a defender, a midfielder and probably two attackers he needs to get a move on and it looks like he is.

There's been a huge breakthrough in the move that has surrounded Bradley Barcola. All summer, Liverpool have wanted to sign the Frenchman, who has been on their radar since his Lyon days.

Barcola has scored 39-goals for PSG across all competitions in the three seasons he has spent at the club so far. He is still only 23-years-old and entering the prime of his career.

The playing style he has is very much tailor-made for Iraola's quick and intense style of football where Barcola will have the opportunity to run in behind defences and cause havoc.

Liverpool have been negotiating with PSG for a while now in order to get this transfer over the line.

Now DaveOCKOP is reporting that Liverpool have finally reached an agreement in principle. The Liverpool fansite claims that while nothing has been signed or completed yet, Hughes has agreed a fee believed to be in the region of €128m, 'with add-ons said to be more achievable in comparison to earlier clauses suggested.'

That's a significant step and things still have to be put on paper and signed but it's a huge breakthrough and a massively important deal for Liverpool to get over the line.