Special winger finally expected to be on the move

A special winger is expected to leave and Liverpool could be his final destination.

There's absolutely no denying Richard Hughes will need to bring in more attacking reinforcements in the next few windows.

Unless we want to count Jeremie Frimpong as a winger, the club's sporting director did not bring in any wide players, even though it's been something he has considered doing ever since he took his position at the club.

During Hughes' first window in 2024, he pursued a more for Anthony Gordon and even considered signing Yankuba Minteh.

Ultimately, those moves fell through but then in January 2025, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was considered as a potential target. The move ultimately fell through with Paris Saint Germain signing him instead.

A year later, the same is expected to happen to Antoine Semenyo, who will likely join Manchester City over Liverpool.

But 2026 may still be the year in which Hughes finally gets the winger he wants.

Back in the summer of 2025, Arne Slot and Hughes considered signing a left-winger after Luis Diaz's departure. At the time, Rio Ngumoha had impressed in pre-season and the club thought it might be better to create a pathway for him.

One of the options Liverpool considered at the time was Bradley Barcola, who Slot is a big fan of in particular.

Fast forward six months and it's clear the head-coach does not trust Ngumoha to play the same amount of minutes as Diaz did last season, which means Liverpool need to reinforce the position and it could see Barcola being back on the radar.

The Frenchman has been heavily scouted by Liverpool since he broke onto the scene at Lyon. Liverpool considered signing him even before he joined Paris Saint Germain.

The latter are still keen on keeping Barcola, but negotiations over a new contract have stalled for over a year now.

And according to L'Equipe journalist Loic Tanzi there is now a genuine possibility of Barcola leaving PSG come the end of the season.

“I think that Barcola will be a real topic next summer, to leave Paris Saint-Germain,” Tanzi revealed on Ici.

Barcola is determined to play regular football and since Kvaratskhelia's arrival his minutes on the pitch have reduced so it makes sense that he is seeking assurances and considering his future.

At Liverpool he would absolutely have a clearer pathway into the starting line-up and that may appeal to the 23-year-old whose current contract with PSG expires in 2028.

For Liverpool, this is the perfect option. Barcola is the kind of winger Hughes has been looking to add to the club's attacking department and it now finally seems like there is a genuine chance of getting him come the summer window.

Perhaps, this may have also influenced Liverpool's decision to not aggressively pursue a move for Semenyo, knowing there may be a better candidate available.

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