Liverpool dan Arsenal Incar Bradley Barcola dari PSG

Liverpool dan Arsenal dilaporkan tengah bersaing ketat untuk mendatangkan penyerang sayap Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Bradley Barcola, pada bursa transfer musim panas 2026 setelah sang pemain berniat mencari opsi klub baru akibat menit bermain yang minim.

Dilansir dari TEAMtalk dan L'Equipe, perwakilan Barcola telah bergerak di balik layar selama beberapa pekan terakhir untuk menjajaki peluang transfer dengan sejumlah klub raksasa Eropa. Pemain berusia 23 tahun tersebut dikabarkan telah memberi tahu manajemen PSG mengenai keinginannya untuk hengkang karena kalah bersaing di lini depan skuad asuhan Luis Enrique.

PSG sendiri dikabarkan mematok harga fantastis sebesar 150 juta euro atau sekitar 128 juta poundsterling bagi klub yang berminat memboyong Barcola. Nilai tersebut berpotensi memecahkan rekor transfer termahal di Inggris raya jika ia benar-benar berlabuh ke Premier League musim panas ini.

Pakar transfer Fabrizio Romano mengungkapkan situasi terkini terkait status sang pemain di klub ibu kota Prancis tersebut.

"Until last week, Barcola was untouchable; now I see him linked to several clubs. The reality, guys, is that Barcola is not untouchable. Barcola has serious possibilities to leave Paris in the summer transfer window. I maintain my information since April and I stand by my information." kata Fabrizio Romano.

Romano menambahkan bahwa proses negosiasi kontrak baru antara pihak Barcola dan PSG saat ini sedang buntu, yang membuat opsi penjualan semakin terbuka lebar bagi klub juara bertahan Liga Champions tersebut.

"Don’t forget also Liverpool, because both Liverpool and Arsenal are calling for Barcola. Liverpool have the player on the very top of their shortlist since the summer transfer window 2025, and Liverpool remain interested in Barcola." ujar Fabrizio Romano.

Ketertarikan Liverpool muncul sebagai langkah strategis pasca kepergian Mohamed Salah, serta kegagalan mereka merekrut target utama Yan Diomande dari RB Leipzig yang justru memilih bergabung ke PSG.

"Barcola is also appreciated by Arsenal, but he is not position number one. Position number one is Rogers, position number two is Barcola, and there are more options in terms of wingers. So that’s the situation at Arsenal." lanjut Fabrizio Romano.

Di sisi lain, Arsenal yang baru mendatangkan Piero Hincapie dari Bayer Leverkusen seharga 34,5 juta poundsterling juga membutuhkan winger kiri baru seiring rencana kepergian Leandro Trossard ke Besiktas.

"Then, important to mention for PSG, he is not untouchable because the new contract talks are completely, completely on standby, stalling for a long time. So Barcola-PSG at the moment, there is no agreement over a new deal, and also important to say, PSG would ask for important money. So who’s going to sign Barcola?

It’s not just about the interest, it’s also about the package of money they’re going to present to Paris Saint-Germain. So that’s the situation." pungkas Fabrizio Romano.

Mantan gelandang Liverpool, Danny Murphy, turut memberikan komentarnya terkait manuver transfer ini melalui BetWright dengan menyebut kegagalan mendapatkan Diomande sebagai berkah tersembunyi.

"I hope so because I think he’s a terrific player. I don’t think they should have been looking at Diomande for the money they were talking about anyway. He is a super talent, but that’s all he is: a talent. He’s a prospect." kata Danny Murphy.

Murphy menilai bahwa mendatangkan Barcola yang sudah teruji di kompetisi tertinggi Eropa memiliki risiko yang jauh lebih kecil bagi The Reds.

"Paying over the odds for a player based on potential, I’m not sure over £100m for a player who hasn’t a body of work that justifies that money was the right way to go. In a way, it might be a blessing." tutur Danny Murphy.

Kendati demikian, Murphy mencatat satu hal yang perlu dipertimbangkan Liverpool mengenai posisi bermain favorit pemain timnas Prancis tersebut.

"Barcola would be less expensive and obviously maybe surplus to requirements with the signings PSG are making. We’ve seen in the Champions League for the last couple of years now the impact he can have on games, so it’s a less risky signing." ucap Danny Murphy.

Meskipun Barcola lebih sering beroperasi di sayap kiri, ia dinilai tetap menjadi opsi yang sangat menarik untuk merombak lini serang Liverpool di bawah manajer baru Andoni Iraola.

"The only thing with Barcola, of course, is he’s more comfortable on the left than the right. He can play on the right on occasion, but really I think someone more used to and suited playing on the right would probably be a better option. But Barcola maybe, too, why not?" tambah Danny Murphy.

Ia pun menyoroti situasi tim asal Merseyside tersebut yang sedang dihadapkan pada teka-teki penyusunan tim setelah memenangi liga domestik.

"It’s certainly interesting and fascinating to see what they’re going to do because the squad needs a bit of reshaping. There are all these questions around Liverpool at the moment, which is, when you think about winning the league and then what we spent, it’s an incredible conundrum that they’re in really and shouldn’t be in." lanjut Danny Murphy.

Dukungan untuk merekrut Barcola juga datang dari mantan striker Liverpool, Emile Heskey, yang menyampaikan opininya melalui Boyle Sports.

‘Signing Bradley Barcola would be an amazing coup for Liverpool because he provides the pace and directness we’ve been missing on the left wing,’ kata Emile Heskey.

Heskey menilai kehadiran Barcola mampu mengembalikan gairah para pendukung di Stadion Anfield seperti era Sadio Mane dahulu.

‘We’ve been spoiled with Sadio Mané and Luis Díaz, and now we need Barcola to get the fans off their seats again.’ ujar Emile Heskey.

Ia menegaskan bahwa langkah ini akan menjadi penegasan ambisi besar bagi manajemen baru klub.

‘Liverpool looked to have missed out on Yan Diomande to PSG, but that could open the door to Barcola leaving, it would be a statement signing for Andoni Iraola that’s for sure.’ tambah Emile Heskey.

Selain itu, Heskey memberikan pandangan alternatif bagi lini depan Arsenal dengan menyarankan perekrutan pemain Manchester United.

‘I think Marcus Rashford needs to move on, I don’t think he’s staying at Manchester United,’ ucap Emile Heskey.

Ia menganggap kepindahan akan menjadi opsi terbaik bagi karier pemain berusia 28 tahun itu setelah melewati musim yang sulit.

‘It’ll be interesting to see where he goes. I doubt it will be another loan unless it’s a move with a view to a permanent deal.’ kata Emile Heskey.

Heskey meyakini klub seperti Aston Villa atau Arsenal bisa menjadi pelabuhan baru yang cocok untuk sang penyerang.

‘I can’t see him staying at United. Aston Villa might take him on loan again with a view to a permanent move, I think he’d be a great asset there. After the season and the reception he had, a change seems likely.’ jelas Emile Heskey.

Ia memprediksi Rashford akan mampu menunjukkan performa impresif jika diberi kesempatan bermain di bawah asuhan Mikel Arteta.

‘I thought he might be heading to Barcelona, but it seems his time there has passed. I could see him thriving at Arsenal. I’m not a big fan of Gabriel Martinelli, I think Marcus is a lot better. It will be interesting to see if they look at him as their next left winger.’ pungkas Emile Heskey.

Namun, upaya klub-klub Inggris untuk memboyong Barcola dari Parc des Princes mendapat penolakan dari legenda sepak bola Prancis, Marcel Desailly.

"Barcola doesn't need to leave PSG. He's too young. He's only 23 years old. Didier Deschamps is teaching him a lesson, and he's giving him a chance." kata Marcel Desailly kepada Sportcasting.

Desailly menilai Barcola masih membutuhkan waktu untuk mengasah kedisiplinan taktisnya sebelum memutuskan merantau ke luar negeri.

"He's young – the attention and defensive alertness isn't there to match the speed he projects when he's going forward. He wasn't making the effort to get back into position." tutur Marcel Desailly.

Mantan bek Chelsea itu menekankan pentingnya proses adaptasi dalam sistem permainan kolektif, baik saat menyerang maupun bertahan.

"So he's growing, he's learning and he's getting that winning mentality on both sides of the game – being available for the team structurally without the ball while also being the one who makes the difference, just as the older players are doing." urai Marcel Desailly.

Oleh karena itu, ia menyarankan agar sang pemain memprioritaskan menit bermain reguler di kompetisi domestik Prancis terlebih dahulu.

"So, should he move to the Premier League? Not yet. Not yet at all.

Sorry, Arsenal and Liverpool fans. He should stay at PSG, play 25 games a season and grow within that system." tutup Marcel Desailly.

Sementara fokus transfer tertuju pada Barcola, Arsenal dikabarkan telah mencapai kesepakatan personal dengan gelandang AS Roma, Manu Kone, senilai 43 juta poundsterling yang penampilannya mendapat pujian dari Didier Deschamps.

"I repeat, Manu Kone is underrated," cetus Didier Deschamps.

Deschamps menilai peran Kone di lini tengah sangat krusial bagi keseimbangan tim nasional Prancis selama kompetisi internasional berlangsung.

"He's coming off a very good season with Roma, and he's becoming increasingly important for us with each training session." sambung Didier Deschamps.

Kontribusi Kone diyakini tidak hanya terbatas pada aspek defensif, melainkan juga kemampuannya mengalirkan bola ke depan.

"He's very effective at winning the ball back, but he shouldn't be limited to that role of defensive midfielder because he also makes a difference in his use of the ball." puji Didier Deschamps.

Saat ini, Bradley Barcola masih berkonsentrasi membela tim nasional Prancis di babak akhir Piala Dunia sebelum menentukan keputusan final terkait masa depannya di Paris Saint-Germain.