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Arsenal and Liverpool put on red alert as PSG make shock Bradley Barcola transfer decision

Bradley Barcola has been linked with a move to the Premier League on numerous occasions in the past following his impressive performances in France.

Arsenal have been given a boost to their hopes of signing Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain. The 23-year-old winger has recently been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his attacking options.

According to French outlet L’Équipe, Barcola will be allowed to leave the Parc des Princes this summer. The report claims that talks over a contract extension had been put on hold towards the end of last season, with club officials keen to focus on the business end of the campaign.

It’s said that prior to that, little progress had been made in negotiations. L’Équipe reckon that Luis Enrique wants to keep the France international, whose current deal expires in June 2028, but higher-ups are no longer averse to cashing in.

The report adds that the Parisians only want to keep players who are committed to the project. It’s believed that Arsenal are in the race for Barcola’s signature, and Liverpool are long admirers.

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Barcola featured 49 times for PSG across all competitions last season, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists. The Frenchman played a particularly key role in Enrique’s side in the Champions League, up until the quarter-finals.

He had started each of the league phase games and the knockout stage play-offs, as well as the first and second legs of the last-16. Then, after suffering a minor knock, Barcola didn’t start again in the Champions League and was reduced to minutes off the bench.

It wasn’t the first time that he had been dropped for the big occasion, despite having played a prominent role earlier in the campaign. Last season, Barcola, who had started all but the first legs of the quarter-final and semi-final, was left out of the starting lineup for the final of Europe’s elite competition.

The winger wasn’t then given much of an opportunity at the Club World Cup either, starting in only the last-16 and quarter-final. Naturally, Enrique’s reluctance to start him raised eyebrows.

Speaking to reporters in July 2025, the PSG boss was asked to provide an update on Barcola. He said: “Bradley Barcola’s future? I have no doubt he’ll remain our player.

“We like the fact that our players are interesting to other clubs. But he’s one of those young players we’ve been banking on. I expect him to play here for many more years.”

Although Barcola has since remained a key player for PSG, Enrique has still been reluctant to start him in major finals. As it stands, it remains unclear whether Arsenal will make a move for the winger, but Mikel Arteta is certainly keen to bolster his squad this summer.

Speaking to reporters after the Champions League final last month, the Gunners boss said: “First of all, I will take a few days with my family, and then we will start the process to review what we have done.

“We will have to start making some very important decisions if we want to reach another level. We are going to have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing it, but it is going to demand us to be very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”