Richard Hughes pulls handbrake on £60m forward deal

Liverpool’s transfer priority heading into this window was always going to be adding quality in areas out wide.

Having missed out on a deal for Yan Diomande - who joined Real Madrid instead - the No1 target has been Bradley Barcola.

Paris Saint-Germain want around £145m for their 23-year-old French international winger. And right now there are considerable doubts over whether or not Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes will meet those demands.

With Victor Munoz coming in from Osasuna for around £34m the 2024/25 Premier League champions have already spent a considerable sum on a wide attacker.

And unless more forwards leave then the chances of signing Barcola or Ibrahim Mbaye would appear to be diminishing. The names in the frame for an exit have reportedly included Federico Chiesa and Cody Gakpo.

The Italian, 28, has been heavily linked with Serie A but Italian sides are unlikely to afford his salary and a transfer fee for Liverpool.

Cody Gakpo wanted by Tottenham

Gakpo meanwhile is a major target for Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham Hotspur - with various reports suggesting the 27-year-old Dutchman has given his consent to the move.

But Gakpo - who signed a £250k per week contract extension last year - has taken a starring role for Andoni Iraola thus far in preseason.

He scored and assisted in the 2-0 win over Como at Anfield on Sunday - carving himself out as exactly the kind of winger to thrive under the Basque tactico.

Liverpool pull handbrake on Gakpo to Tottenham

Now it would appear that the Reds are ready to pull the handbrake on selling Gakpo to Spurs - with a £60m deal previously mooted.

That’s according to a report on Football Insider - which claims the North London side have received little to no indication that the Merseysiders are prepared to enter talks.

“They've not been getting a lot of encouragement from Liverpool that they'd be willing to sell,” the report reads.

"Spurs will be hoping that might change if Liverpool bring in their own attacking reinforcements. But as things stand right now, I don't think Liverpool can afford to let Gakpo go, because they're going to need him this season.

“Unless Liverpool bring in more players, I don't think Andoni Iraola will be looking to leave his squad short by offloading somebody like Gakpo, so there are lots of hurdles for this one to overcome for Spurs to have any chance of landing Gakpo before the window closes.”

Gakpo set for starring role under Iraola

Gakpo joined Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool back in January 2023 and fared well under Arne Slot during the 2024/25 Premier League title victory.

But he trailed off last season - earning plenty of criticism from Liverpool fans. The ex-PSV captain now looks revitalised following the summer break and appears destined for a key role under the new manager this coming term.