Liverpool’s £120m Barcola breakthrough may only be the start of a frantic finish to the window

Yesterday was Bradley Barcola day, and after the amount of time we spent waiting for that transfer to finally reach an agreement, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Liverpool have got their man, Andoni Iraola has got the explosive winger he wanted, and I can finally stop telling everybody to be patient because the information we were getting throughout this saga always pointed towards Barcola ending up at Anfield.

Today, though, I have already moved on.

That probably sounds incredibly greedy when Liverpool have just agreed a package worth around £120 million for one of the most exciting young forwards in Europe, but there are only days remaining in the transfer window and there is still work to be done. Barcola was the biggest deal Liverpool needed to complete, but he was never the only one.

So after spending yesterday enjoying Barcola, this morning my attention is firmly on three names.

Lamine Camara.

Ibrahim Mbaye.

And, somehow, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

What a transfer window this has become.

Camara Is The One I Want Next

If you asked me this morning which piece of business I most want Liverpool to complete next, my answer is Lamine Camara.

I want to be very careful about how I phrase what we know because I am not telling you this deal is done, close or even guaranteed to happen. What I have been given permission to say is that somebody from within Liverpool Football Club has told us Camara is being looked at and weighed up, with groundwork and due diligence taking place around the possibility of bringing him in.

That is enough for me to believe this is a genuine one to watch rather than another name being thrown around during the final days of the window.

And I really hope Liverpool follow through with it.

I have been saying for long enough that this midfield needs more balance. Barcola gives us pace, directness and another player capable of beating his man, but Liverpool still look vulnerable when games become stretched and I would feel far more comfortable going into the season with another proper midfield option.

I am not going to pretend I have watched every minute Camara has played, because I haven’t, but people whose judgement I trust when it comes to French football speak extremely highly of him. The reports around his press resistance, defensive qualities and ability to operate deeper make him sound like exactly the profile that could improve the balance of this team.

Monaco’s own transfer activity makes the situation even more intriguing, and while there are still plenty of pieces that would have to fall into place, I am allowing myself to be hopeful.

Barcola yesterday.

Camara next?

Yes please.

Mbaye Conversations Could Be Significant

Then there is Ibrahim Mbaye.

We were told last night that Liverpool are back in conversations with PSG around the possibility of Mbaye, and again, conversations are exactly that. They do not mean a bid has been made and they certainly do not mean a transfer is agreed.

But there is one part of this situation I remain extremely confident about.

Mbaye wants Liverpool.

The question is whether Liverpool want Mbaye enough to find an agreement with PSG, particularly when figures around €70 million have been mentioned. Earlier in the window, numbers closer to €40 million or €50 million were being discussed when Bundesliga clubs were looking at him, and I would be surprised if Liverpool simply accepted that €70 million valuation without pushing hard.

With the deadline approaching, though, things can change quickly.

PSG have a player who appears open to leaving. Liverpool need another natural option from the right. We have already looked at Yankuba Minteh and Ismaïla Sarr, and if Cody Gakpo moves to Tottenham, the need for another attacker becomes even clearer.

For me, Mbaye probably offers the most exciting long-term upside of those options. He is ridiculously young, which does bring its own concerns because Liverpool’s wide options would suddenly have a very youthful look, but you are potentially buying somebody whose value and importance could explode over the next few years.

If PSG become realistic about the price, I would absolutely be having that conversation.

Gakpo Could Determine What Happens Next

I still expect Cody Gakpo to leave.

That is not because I want Liverpool to get rid of him. I would happily keep Cody because he gives you goals, experience and versatility, but you have to look at this from the player’s perspective as well.

He is 28, an established international and a Premier League winner. Liverpool have now spent enormous money on Barcola, Rio is coming through and there is considerable competition on the left. If Tottenham are offering Gakpo the opportunity to become an important starter, I can understand why that might appeal to him.

Liverpool should demand a serious fee because there is absolutely no reason to sell cheaply in this market.

And if Cody does go, his replacement needs to be ready.

That is where Mbaye becomes particularly interesting.

Trent Back To Liverpool? Surely Not

And then we have Trent.

I still cannot quite believe I am writing this.

There has been a suggestion that Trent Alexander-Arnold could return to Liverpool if an agreement can be reached with Real Madrid, and at this stage I would treat the entire thing with an enormous pinch of salt.

There are simply too many unanswered questions.

Would it be permanent? Would it be a loan? How much would Real Madrid want? Does Trent actually want to return? Is there anything substantial behind this or are we dealing with somebody floating an idea?

My instinct remains that I probably wouldn’t do it.

It is not purely emotional, either. The idea of Liverpool handing Real Madrid a huge amount of money for a player they acquired for next to nothing would be incredibly difficult to stomach. If Trent ever did come back, I would certainly prefer a permanent deal because I have no interest in Liverpool improving him for Madrid before sending him back.

At the same time, I have always believed people should be allowed to acknowledge mistakes. If somebody puts their hands up and genuinely says they got something wrong, I will listen. That applies far beyond football.

Whether Trent believes he made a mistake is another matter entirely.

Right now it is a mad hypothetical, and I am treating it accordingly.

What matters far more is what Liverpool do with these final days.

Yesterday belonged to Bradley Barcola.

Today, I want Liverpool to look forward.

Get a right winger through the door. Push the Camara situation as far as it can realistically go. Make the right decision on Gakpo and, if Mbaye is genuinely available at a sensible price, take advantage of the fact that the player wants to come.

If Liverpool can follow Barcola with Camara and another quality attacker, then suddenly the ending to this transfer window could look very different indeed.

We’ve got the big one.

Now go and finish the job.

Much love.