Former midfielder Jody Morris has urged Chelsea to hijack Liverpool’s deal for Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola.
After letting Alejandro Garnacho join Aston Villa, the Blues have bolstered the left flank by purchasing Morgan Rogers this summer. Apart from the Englishman, Xabi Alonso also has Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto as options to deploy on the left flank.
Still, on Sky Sports (via Metro), Morris says that he would love to see the West London club sign Barcola.
He was surprised to see that Chelsea managed to sign Rogers from Aston Villa by defeating Arsenal in the race, as Unai Emery’s side are set to play Champions League football next season. On the other hand, the Gunners are the reigning Premier League champions, but Alonso’s side won’t even be playing European football next season.
Morris said:
“I would have loved to have been in a position where we[Chelsea] can go after Barcola. But I said this previously, I was really surprised that we managed to get Morgan Rogers through the door when he’s playing for a team that’s already in the Champions League and reportedly had the champions of England [Arsenal] after him as well.
“I was really surprised that we managed to get him through the door so I think it would be wishful thinking if we were then able to get another player of that ilk [Barcola] who has just won the Champions League twice.”
Following Mohamed Salah’s departure, Liverpool have purchased Victor Muñoz from Osasuna. However, Andoni Iraola wants a new marquee winger, and Liverpool have identified Barcola as the primary target.
Chelsea tipped to sign Barcola
It has been reported that Liverpool have been negotiating with Les Parisiens to finalise the operation, but the reigning European champions want an exorbitant fee of around £145m.
Although Barcola has struggled to break into Luis Enrique’s starting line-up for big Champions League matches in recent seasons, he has showcased his productivity.
After making 41 goal contributions during the 2024/25 campaign, he netted 13 goals and registered six assists across all competitions last term.
Moreover, he helped his side win three Ligue 1…
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