Liverpool's Plan to Replace Mohamed Salah: Barcola and Diaz

Liverpool are drawing up a two-track plan to fill the void left by Mohamed Salah – with Bradley Barcola the clear priority and Brahim Diaz waiting in the wings if the pursuit of the Paris Saint-Germain forward stalls.

Barcola the headline act

Fenway Sports Group know they cannot afford to get this one wrong. Salah has gone, the right flank that defined an era now belongs to someone else, and Liverpool want a statement signing to anchor the next phase of their attack.

Victor Munoz has arrived from Osasuna, but internally Liverpool see him as part of the solution, not the solution. The player they truly want is Bradley Barcola.

Barcola, who lit up the 2026 World Cup with France, has already informed PSG he will not sign a new contract. That stance has not softened. According to TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey, the winger sits firmly at the top of Liverpool’s shortlist.

“Barcola is Liverpool’s top target, there is no doubt about that,” Bailey told TEAMtalk, outlining just how heavily the club have leaned into this chase. He compared the intensity of their work on Barcola to their previous pursuit of Yan Diomande, noting that “nobody had done more work on him than Liverpool” before priorities shifted.

Now all eyes are on PSG’s valuation. Liverpool know the numbers. PSG are understood to have set a £145million asking price, a figure that reflects Barcola’s status as one of Europe’s elite young forwards and the reality of a seller’s market.

Liverpool, for their part, want to get this done for less. Bailey reports that the club hope to complete a deal below PSG’s price and, crucially, below the British-record £125million they paid for Alexander Isak. The question is whether that kind of compromise is even possible, especially with Arsenal still in the conversation and “firmly interested”.

Barcola has, Bailey says, again told PSG in the past week that he has no intention of signing fresh terms. At some point that stand-off will force a decision in Paris. Liverpool are positioning themselves to be ready when it does.

Diaz on standby

Liverpool’s recruitment team, though, are not betting everything on a single outcome. Behind the scenes, they have drawn up alternatives, and one name stands out: Brahim Diaz.

The Real Madrid winger, formerly of Manchester City, is under contract at the Bernabeu until 2027 and offers exactly the kind of versatility Liverpool value. Naturally comfortable off the right, he can also operate as an attacking midfielder or from the left, giving any coach tactical flexibility across the front line.

His problem is simple: minutes. Under Jose Mourinho, with Real Madrid closing in on the signing of Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig, Diaz faces a crowded route to the pitch. Diomande is being brought in to play from the right, Kylian Mbappe is expected to lead the line through the middle, and Vinicius Junior remains immovable on the left.

That squeeze does not just affect Diaz. TEAMtalk reported at the weekend that Liverpool have also made contact with the camp of Vinicius Junior, who, like Diaz, is out of contract next summer. Madrid’s attacking hierarchy is shifting, and Liverpool are watching closely.

For the right flank specifically, Diaz is among the options Liverpool have discussed. Bailey explains that the club have “previously explored the situations of Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler and Endrick”, and that all three could see their futures “revisited because of Diomande should Madrid receive suitable offers”.

The strategy is clear. Liverpool want Barcola as the flagship signing, the direct heir to Salah’s role on the right. If PSG hold firm on their price or Arsenal move more decisively, the plan pivots. Diaz, and possibly others in Madrid’s reshuffled front line, come sharply into focus.

The Salah era ended with goals, trophies and a defined identity. The next chapter hinges on whether Liverpool can wrest Barcola from PSG’s grip – or whether the road to rebuilding runs through Madrid instead.