20 Jul 2026 12:31:52
Hi all,
Personal terms have been broadly agreed with Bradley Barcola. A bid is being prepared, likely to be rejected but a good start.
20 Jul 2026 13:07:14
Thanks VG, I so hope we can secure both Barcola and Rayan!
20 Jul 2026 13:07:23
Is that not tapping a player up illegally?
20 Jul 2026 13:09:00
Thanks, Vic. I think he has great potential, but we still need someone more specifically for the right. Hopefully we get him in while working on other targets.
20 Jul 2026 13:16:22
Whilst I think that Barcola could be a great addition to the squad, I am really struggling to get excited about this. I think it is due to our lack of a specialist right winger. Whilst I know Barcola can play on the right wing, I do not think that he is the answer, and I think that I would be far more excited with the idea of his signing if we had already landed somebody like Rayan or Diomande (or even if it felt like we had made some progress).
20 Jul 2026 13:16:34
Fingers crossed we don't faff about. Cheers VG.
20 Jul 2026 13:18:31
Haha, here we go again. 3 bids Liverpool.
20 Jul 2026 13:22:46
Some people are never happy! Thanks, VG.
20 Jul 2026 13:23:00
Looks like the first bid is 85 million.
20 Jul 2026 13:26:39
No, it isn't, Kloppers. All clubs agree personal terms with players prior to placing a bid. I think they need permission from the potential selling club first, though, to speak with agents.
20 Jul 2026 13:28:20
Hope we get him, his pace is frightening, and he can finish, dont get why people dont want him to be honest. His potential is through the roof.
20 Jul 2026 13:28:54
Any idea what fee would be acceptable?
20 Jul 2026 13:44:45
We're so boring with the hard to bargain crap, if he's our Salah replacement, go get him. 3 bids then lose to Chelsea or Arsenal drama.
20 Jul 2026 13:57:22
Permission from the selling club is needed for official discussions and agreements as well as to contact the player directly. It is not needed to talk informally to agents to discuss the player's interest in the move and to talk about what sort of contract might be acceptable to their client if a bid were to be accepted.
20 Jul 2026 14:09:34
I've been told that there will be a flurry of activity starting this week...
Watch this space.
Ric.
20 Jul 2026 14:12:31
I think a bid of about 105m pound gets the job done easily, but I might be way off on that. Time will tell.
20 Jul 2026 13:27:54
So while I don't know much I've listened to the eds for years enough to know that.
You can get in touch with a players representatives and broadly agree terms on wages contract club project expectations etc. This is not tapping up.
Club does this and honestly makes sense because the alternative could end up quite embarrassing if we went in with 120 mill bid that gets accepted for the player to simply turn around and go ahh actually I have 0 interest in playing for you or moving etc.
So it is common practice for broad terms to be agreed with a player to make sure that if the deal can be done between clubs that the actual deal also then gets done.
Sometimes things happen differently and sometimes players just straight up change their mind or have preferences (Caicedo)
But that is different from direct contact and discussions with a player not through their representatives (Van Dijk scenario)
At a high level I don't think I have messed up here but as usual correct me if wrong eds I am always here to learn.
Then any deeper as a wise man often said just confuses people
20 Jul 2026 14:24:37
Finally some traction. The joys of the WC, I guess.
From what I've seen of him he's a decent enough player. Obviously the market is stupidly well, stupid at the moment and I think all prices are inflated, but I'm glad to see we are in for him. Be nice if we didn't draw it out.
Ta for the update, dude!
20 Jul 2026 14:27:25
Regarding tapping up, every club does it. It's just kind of an unspoken rule that that's how the game works these days and the very odd time a club will pipe up threatening to report it as a way of saying f*** off.
It's very standard procedure. Were PSG to call this tapping up, they would have trouble on their hands as they do it to their targets too.
20 Jul 2026 14:38:19
People keep moaning about Barcola like the winger market is full or great players. I think, if Iraola gets us playing as fast and direct as he did Bournemouth, he will be great. The system works for near enough any pacey player, as he's proven by getting the same out of the team regardless of who gets sold.
20 Jul 2026 15:21:30
Why are we funding PSG's move for Diomande?
20 Jul 2026 15:37:46
They want Akliouche.
20 Jul 2026 15:54:52
Jesus, some of the comments on here are ridiculous, 3 bids Liverpool, we won't sign anyone, they won't sign the players I like, etc, etc. Really need to get a grip, some people, only happy when they're moaning. Cheers Vic as always.
20 Jul 2026 15:57:09
25M+ Gakpo should do it.
20 Jul 2026 16:23:50
Exactly, Fatwallet, it's exasperating sometimes!
France put him on at half time against England, and his pace caused us loads of problems, culminating in him scoring a great goal. He's a brilliant player, I really don't know why anyone would say different. He's exactly what we need.
Cheer Vic as always. :-)
20 Jul 2026 16:30:55
Thanks VG.
20 Jul 2026 23:43:30
Happy with that. I think he'll be excellent for us. Rio, Munoz, and Barcola can rotate on the left and the right, while Gakpo can rotate on the left and CF when Isak needs a break, if he's staying, that is.