​Liverpool and Arsenal both continue to “appreciate” Bradley Barcola this summer. Fabrizio Romano reports that the Gunners are watching the France international as they work to negotiate a reasonable price with Aston Villa for Morgan Rogers. Rogers is currently valued at about £130 million, but Mikel Arteta’s side appears keen to bring that asking price down. There is a world in which Arsenal abandon their pursuit of Villa’s attacker in favor of a potentially similarly priced Barcola.
“Arsenal will try to understand if there is room for negotiation on Morgan Rogers’ price tag,” Romano said on his YouTube channel. “They also appreciate Bradley Barcola, but for Barcola there is also Liverpool, so it’s going to be an interesting summer for wingers.” Of course, all of this hinges on whether PSG is willing to move on their own valuation of the left-sided winger.
Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust. Reports from the club have already stressed that Luis Enrique’s side value the player beyond the £116 million sum Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson. So, whichever way you cut it, Arsenal will have to shell out substantial cash this summer to land either of their top targets.
There is a justification for the North London outfit – Bradley Barcola would likely be an upgrade on Gabriel Martinelli, and he would offer a similar breadth of positional versatility across the forward line as a potential Rogers. Over the years, we’ve generally been pleased with the business done in summer windows. However, there is a sense of caution this time that the current market may buck that trend, leaving new boss Andoni Iraola badly short of options ahead of the 2026/27 season.
The Barcola saga, indeed, looks set to drag on into the latter stages of the window, given France’s likely status as World Cup finalists or winners. This scenario breeds anxiety about the outcome late in the window when Liverpool seem to be holding off on further moves to avoid financially locking themselves out of a deal with PSG. Can we really afford a panicked search for the next winger after the 23-year-old Barcola and Yan Diomande in the final days of the window when the team is desperate for options on the flanks?
Buy the sure thing now in what looks like Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh and move on to the rest of the squad. Please.