Having spent much of the summer nervous that Liverpool will not make the necessary moves in the transfer market, Sunday’s apparent acceleration in the Bradley Barcola deal will have delighted Reds fans.
It has been clear for ages that Liverpool badly need an injection of pace on the wings, and having seen Yan Diomande slip through their grasp, Barcola has been the player at the top of the shortlist at Anfield.
Despite their clear appreciation for him, though, Liverpool’s stalking of the Paris Saint-Germain forward has been slow. And according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, though things are steadily now moving, any supporter hoping for a fast deal is set to be disappointed.
Who would be your choice of centre-back signing for Liverpool this summer?
The Reds clearly need to do something after fresh injuries to Jacquet and Gomez
Liverpool will have to be patient on Barcola
With Barcola reportedly keen on joining Liverpool, and PSG open to a sale at the right price, this does feel like a transfer which is destined to happen.
Nevertheless, as Romano told his YouTube channel in the early hours of Monday morning, the big asking price for Barcola means that negotiations with Liverpool will take time.
“Don’t expect something imminent,” he said. “I know that now everyone is jumping on the story, no one was caring about Barcola and Liverpool in April, May, June and July, now everyone is jumping on the story, but it doesn’t mean that Liverpool will sign Barcola today.
READ MORE: Five exciting players Liverpool could sign at right-back as mystery transfer confirmed as ‘likely’
“It’s not a super fast deal, it’s going to take time. It’s a complicated negotiation in the sense that it’s a lot of money.
“The player is keen on the move, so I will tell you more on Barcola soon, but it’s just about timing, just to clarify and control the excitement about that.”
Having been forced to be patient throughout what has been a frustrating summer in the window so far, that is not what Liverpool fans wanted to hear.
The longer the negotiations drag on, the more chance Barcola falls through the net for the Reds. Given their need for an top quality wide forward addition, they cannot allow that to happen. Things are hopefully moving, but Liverpool still have a lot work to do to satisfy their fans this summer.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
