Jamie Carragher makes worrying Bradley Barcola transfer admission as Andoni Iraola urged to act

Jamie Carragher has revealed what he believes Liverpool should be doing rather than pursuing the transfer of Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola – and the former Reds captain has a point.

Despite previously being heavily linked with RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, who looks set to join Real Madrid, Andoni Iraola’s third signing of the summer, after Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz, looks all but certain to be PSG and France winger Barcola.

On Wednesday (July 29), it was widely reported that Liverpool had opened talks with PSG over a deal, with Barcola open to moving to Anfield.

The 23-year-old, who has two seasons left on his contract, is reportedly valued at around £145 million, although contrary reports claim the figure is closer to £128.5 million, £3.5 million more than the club-record transfer fee Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak when he arrived from Newcastle United last summer.

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And while most Liverpool supporters will be looking forward to the prospect of Barcola galloping up and down the left wing, former Reds centre-back turned pundit Carragher believes the club should have replaced Mohamed Salah on the right-hand side before looking to sign Barcola.

"He's a great player, there's no doubt about that - I'd love to get Barcola at Liverpool," Carragher told Sky Sports News on July 30.

"But he's a left winger for me.

"Liverpool's big thing that stands out like a sore thumb right now is replacing Mo Salah, a right winger. And I don't think Liverpool have got anybody really in the squad who looks fully comfortable playing right wing.

"They probably have at least four players in the squad before Barcola joins, if he joins, who could play on the left-hand side comfortably.

"Now, I'm not saying any of those players are better than Barcola. But in terms of the balance of the squad, it's not the position Liverpool need right now. They need a right winger.”

Barcola, who is right-footed and prefers cutting in from the left, was used predominantly as a left winger at PSG despite playing as a central striker at Lyon’s academy until he was 17.

Could Bradley Barcola signing hamper Rio Ngumoha's development?

Meanwhile, Carragher also raised the point that Rio Ngumoha’s development could be hampered by Barcola’s arrival after the England international impressed during his breakthrough season last term.

"Rio's a young lad, he's really good,” Carragher added. “I think he's going to kick on from where he did last season. But that is a point: you're buying a really young player for a lot of money in Barcola, who's better than Rio Ngumoha right now.

"But you think eventually, in the next year or two, Rio would want to be playing week in, week out for Liverpool. And that's up to him to prove it.

"So when you pay that type of money for a young player in his position, it does leave you scratching your head a little bit.

"There's talk that Rio Ngumoha could play on the right and get some minutes there. As a young player, that's fine, playing on both sides. But I think his position is on the left right now.

"And the reason I'm a little bit confused with Barcola is because last season, when Liverpool sold Luis Diaz, the noise coming from the club was: we're not buying a left winger because we've got Gakpo - and we also don't want to block the path of Rio Ngumoha.

"And you think, well, OK. I understand that to a certain extent.

"But Rio is now 12 months on. He's proven that he looks a tasty player. And you think Liverpool might have a player there for the future. Yet, 12 months on, Liverpool are going to break the bank for someone in that position, when 12 months earlier they said they didn't want to block Rio's path.

"So there are a few things with Liverpool transfer-wise at the moment where I'm still scratching my head a little bit.

"But if they go out and get a player for the right wing, bring Barcola in and then sell a couple of the wide players that they have on the books right now, I think that'd be fantastic."

Liverpool are currently on a pre-season tour of the United States and have already beaten both Sunderland and Wrexham ahead of a clash with Leeds United in Chicago on August 2.

The Reds then round off their pre-season campaign with a friendlies against Monaco and Como before their 2026/27 Premier League campaign gets underway with a trip to Newcastle United on August 23.