Journalist: Liverpool keep Barcola pursuit alive despite Minteh push
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Liverpool Transfer Latest: Bradley Barcola Priority, Yankuba Minteh Chase and Deadline Decisions
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Liverpool have reached the stage of the window where intentions matter less than execution. Plans are easy to sketch out in August, particularly after a 2-2 draw at Newcastle that exposed familiar issues. Getting deals done, at the right price and in the right positions, is harder. According to The Athletic, Liverpool’s focus is clear, and it is not where many supporters might want it to be.
The headline is simple. Liverpool want wide attackers, plural. The club are still pushing for Bradley Barcola, they have already had two bids rejected for Yankuba Minteh, and there is a growing sense that the final week of the window will define how Andoni Iraola’s first season at Anfield begins. This is not about window dressing. It is about whether Liverpool can sharpen a frontline that still looks one or two pieces short of where it needs to be.
The Athletic reports that “Ideally, Liverpool want to sign two wide attackers before next Tuesday’s deadline.” That is a serious statement. It tells you this is not a market dabble or an opportunistic late swing. It also tells you the club see the problem area in black and white. Despite all the noise around midfield after the season opener, the internal view remains fixed on the forward line.
Barcola remains Liverpool’s main target
If Liverpool had their way, Bradley Barcola would already be heading to Merseyside. He is the priority target and that has not changed. The problem is the same problem as before, Paris Saint-Germain do not need to sell, and Liverpool do not want to be dragged into paying whatever number gets thrown at them.
The Athletic states that “Agreeing a fee with Paris Saint-Germain for the France international has so far proved problematic.” That is polite language for a straightforward reality. PSG’s valuation is high, Liverpool’s preferred price is lower, and the stand-off continues. This sort of negotiation can collapse quickly or suddenly move in the final 48 hours. Until then, it sits where many Liverpool deals have sat over the years, logical in theory, difficult in practice.
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Barcola makes sense. He is quick, direct, technically secure and suited to the kind of wide threat Liverpool have lacked when games become static. He can stretch a back line, win one-v-one duels and open space for others. None of that is revolutionary analysis. The more important point is that Liverpool clearly believe he raises the level immediately.
That matters because this is not a squad in need of cosmetic adjustment. Iraola has inherited a team that requires clarity and pace in the final third. The draw at Newcastle offered reminders of quality, but also reminders that Liverpool can still look blunt and predictable for stretches. Barcola would address that.
Minteh pursuit shows Liverpool want numbers and pace
What is just as revealing is Liverpool’s pursuit of Yankuba Minteh. They offered £50m, then £60m, and Brighton still said no. The report says sources with knowledge of Brighton’s position indicate they want “closer to £70m.” Again, there is no mystery here. Brighton know Liverpool need options and they are pricing accordingly.
The key line from The Athletic is that “Their pursuit of Minteh, who operates off the right, changes nothing regarding their interest in top target Bradley Barcola.” In other words, this is not an either-or debate from Liverpool’s side. They want both profile and depth. They want variety. They want another right-sided threat as well as a top-class left-sided option.
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That is sensible. Liverpool’s attack has quality, but it needs freshness and balance. Minteh is younger and less polished than Barcola, but he brings speed, aggression and a willingness to attack defenders early. Those attributes are worth paying for, though whether they are worth £70m is the central argument. Liverpool have already shown they have a number in mind. Brighton have shown they do too. One of them has to blink.
There is another useful detail in The Athletic report, which says, “Minteh is viewed as a suitable alternative to Barcola’s PSG colleague Ibrahim Mbaye, an 18-year-old Liverpool had also heavily scouted.” That gives a broader view of Liverpool’s thinking. They are not shopping blindly. They are tracking a type of player, quick wide forwards with upside, and moving through a list based on availability and price.
Gakpo, Chiesa and Elliott create uncertainty before deadline
Incoming business is only half the story. Liverpool also have decisions to make on players already in the building, and some of them are awkward.
The most notable name is Cody Gakpo. The Athletic reports that Manchester City are interested, while Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked. So far, “There have been no club-to-club discussions over a possible deal for the Dutchman so far.” That is where it stands. Interest, noise, no formal move yet.
What makes that more intriguing is the earlier suggestion in the wider piece that “Barcola’s potential arrival at Anfield may be linked to a possible departure for Cody Gakpo.” Liverpool are not actively pushing Gakpo out, and he scored against Newcastle, but serious interest from rival clubs tends to test the neatness of any squad plan. If a major offer lands, the conversation changes.
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Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott also sit in uncertain territory. The report says “The future is uncertain for Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott, who both failed to make new head coach Andoni Iraola’s 20-man squad for that season opener at St James’ Park.” That is not a small detail. First league game, new coach, two notable absentees. Managers send messages with team sheets. Iraola’s message was hard to miss.
There are loan decisions to come too. Kaide Gordon, Wellity Lucky, Jayden Danns and Keyrol Figueroa may all move temporarily. Luke Chambers and James McConnell have Championship interest. Lewis Koumas, by contrast, “looks set to stay” after a strong pre-season and his substitute appearance against Newcastle. This is what the end of a transfer window looks like at a big club, targeted ambition at the top of the squad, sorting and reshaping beneath it.
What matters most, though, is the first-team attack. Liverpool are trying to add quality in wide areas because they know the margins at the top are vicious. If Barcola arrives, it looks like a serious statement. If Minteh follows, it looks like planning with intent. If neither arrives, the excuses will sound thin.
Iraola starts his Liverpool tenure under pressure because that is how the job works. A dropped-off 2025-26 campaign and a managerial reset have changed the mood around the club. Liverpool do not need a dramatic rebuild in every line, but they do need smart, decisive action. The Athletic’s reporting suggests the club know exactly what they want. Now they have to prove they can get it done.
Our View
From a Liverpool supporter’s perspective, this report is frustrating because it feels like the club have seen the same problems as the fans, then chosen the safer argument. Everybody watched that 2-2 at Newcastle. Everybody saw the lack of control in midfield at key moments. Yet we are being told the answer is more wingers and no replacement for Curtis Jones because Trey Nyoni is ready.
Maybe Nyoni is ready. Hopefully he is. But hoping and planning are not the same thing. Liverpool have sold an experienced squad player for £30m and are acting as though promoting a teenager removes all risk. It does not. That is how you end up short by November.
The Barcola move makes sense, and Minteh is a good player, but supporters are entitled to ask why this squad always seems one decision away from being properly balanced. If Gakpo could go, if Chiesa and Elliott are uncertain, and if the midfield is left untouched, it starts to feel less like a clear strategy and more like a gamble.
The blunt truth is that Liverpool cannot afford another season of half-measures. Iraola needs tools, not theory. If the club genuinely want two wide attackers, then fine, go and get them. But if they close the window without fixing the rest of the obvious issues, fans will not buy the explanations for very long.