Why Liverpool WON'T sign Bradley Barcola amid reports of imminent bid for PSG sensation
Satisfied with Ngumoha's progress
Reds face Palace in Community Shield on Sunday
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱
WHAT HAPPENED?
Earlier on Wednesday, L'Equipe reported that Liverpool are back in the race to sign 22-year-old wide man Barcola this summer, as they continue to face difficulties in their pursuit of Alexander Isak. They have already seen their first bid for the Newcastle star rejected and were said to have now shifted their focus to Barcola and Real Madrid's Rodrygo.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The Athletic, however, claims that the Reds are not considering a move for Barcola at the moment, as his arrival at Anfield would affect the progress of youth product Rio Ngumoha. The 16-year-old wonderkid has been impressive in the club's pre-season friendlies and the champions' primary focus is to oversee the growth of the teenager as a player under Arne Slot's tutelage.
DID YOU KNOW?
Liverpool have already spent almost £300 million ($400m) this summer to strengthen their squad and a transfer for Barcola would probably cost them another €100m (£133.5m).
WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?
Slot's men are now preparing for their first competitive match of the 2024-25 campaign as they take on Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on Sunday.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Darwin Núñez leaves Liverpool for Al Hilal!
The Uruguayan striker is set to make his move to Saudi Arabia. Darwin Nuñez It's official! After three years at Anfield, Uruguayan striker Darwin Núñez will leave Liverpool for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi club Al Hilal has reached an agreement with the Reds for a deal that could total up to €65 million. Darwin Núñez is definitively closing the Liverpool chapter. The 26-year-old center-forward from Uruguay is preparing to join Al Hilal in the summer of 2025. A final agreement has been reached between the two clubs for a total fee of around €65M (€53M guaranteed and €12M in bonuses), with the player giving his approval to this project led by Simone Inzaghi. The transfer will be finalized pending his medical and contract signing. Having arrived from Benfica in 2022 for a record €75 million fee for Liverpool, the striker never quite managed to live up to that investment. His inconsistent performances led the Reds' management to accept the Saudi offer. Núñez is now prioritizing a fresh start in Saudi Arabia.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Report – Inter Milan Haven't Given Up On €40M Rated Italy U21 Star Despite Liverpool Interest
Inter Milan haven't given up their interest in signing Giovanni Leoni despite facing competition from Liverpool. This according to today's print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews. They report that the 19-year-old will cost €40 million, and Inter could make their move after sorting out their attack. Inter Milan have been eyeing up a deal to sign Parma defender Giovanni Leoni for much of the summer. The teenage defender has been on Inter's radar since last summer. They had attempted to sign him from Sampdoria, but instead it was Parma who agreed a deal for Leoni. However, Leoni's performances at Parma last season have ensured that Inter's interest has only increased. And as is well-known, the fact that Cristian Chivu worked successfully with the young defender before joining Inter is another key factor in the Nerazzurri's interest. Inter also know that Leoni's excellent performances for Parma mean that his price tag has risen significantly. The Nerazzurri had been thinking about a deal worth €30-35 million for the 19-year-old. However, Parma are likely to demand more due to the amount of interest in Leoni. Premier League champions Liverpool are reportedly among the clubs to see Leoni as a target. Therefore, Parma are likely to want a fee of no less than €40 million. And that will be a tought figure for Inter to reach. Inter Haven't Given Up On Giovanni Leoni Despite Liverpool Interest MONZA, ITALY – MARCH 15: Giovanni Leoni of Parma in action during the Serie A match between Monza and Parma at U-Power Stadium on March 15, 2025 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by) However, the Gazzetta dello Sport report, that doesn't mean Inter aren't going to try. Right now, Inter's priority is to put the finishing touches on their attack for next season. They are still trying to sign Atalanta talisman Ademola Lookman, but could also sign another forward if that pursuit fails. In the meantime, Inter are also making some sales of fringe players. Once all of that business is completed, the Gazzetta reports, Inter will make their move for Leoni. Furthermore, the newspaper anticipate, Leoni's arrival would not necessitate that another defender Like Yann Bisseck or Benjamin Pavard leave. On the contrary, if Bisseck or Pavard were to be sold, then Inter would move for Genoa's Koni De Winter. But with Leoni, the Nerazzurri see the young defender as a long-term heir to aging stalwarts Francesco Acerbi and Stefan de Vrij. Meanwhile, the Gazzetta report that Inter believe that Leoni's desire to join them could be their ace in the hole. The 19-year-old fully trusts coach Cristian Chivu. He believes that a move to Inter would be ideal for him to grow and maybe even stake his place in Italy's World Cup squad next summer. In the meantime, Inter are also in talks to sell striker Sebastiano Esposito to Parma. That deal won't be linked to a move for Leoni, notes the Gazzetta. However, it is a signal that the Nerazzurri and the Gialloblu are on the same page. Particularly after Inter already completed one big money deal to sign Ange-Yoan Bonny from Parma this summer, they have cautious optimism about an even bigger signing from Emilia-Romagna.


New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Farewell Darwin Nunez, the striker Liverpool fans really, really wanted to see succeed
Bad misses and superior finishes. After three years of fighting the fight for Liverpool to varying degrees of success, Darwin Nunez is not just leaving Anfield but the European football scene entirely. The 26-year-old is set for a medical with Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal after the two clubs agreed a deal worth €53million (£46m, $62m) plus add-ons. It means Nunez will leave right in the middle of what can often prove to be a striker's peak years, having scored 40 goals and provided 22 assists in 143 appearances for Liverpool. He was fantastically entertaining to watch… but not always just for Liverpool fans. Advertisement It would usually start with a swing and a miss — and then the chants would come. 'S*** Andy Carroll, you're just a s*** Andy Carroll!'. Nunez's struggles with the language barrier early on at Liverpool are well documented but he always seemed to understand what that meant. Whether he was being targeted from an away end at Anfield or all four stands when Liverpool were away, those lyrics seemed to have a profound impact on the Uruguayan. During a League Cup match at Bournemouth in November 2023, Nunez, in his second season at Liverpool, came on in the 61st minute and was greeted with a rendition of that particular song by the home crowd. Nine minutes later, in a game during which the rain from Storm Ciaran had blown in sideways, Nunez cut in and bent a shot into the top corner to score a vengeful winner. Bournemouth fans were not the first or last to learn that taunting Nunez often prompted his best work. Abuse was the precursor to many a payback goal. 'Nunez, Nunez, Nunez' was Liverpool fans' riposte. He never got a chant longer than his own surname, which was consistently mispronounced, and he didn't need one. His name was first shouted at him like that after he scored against Manchester City when Liverpool won the Community Shield at the King Power Stadium at the start of the 2022-23 season. Nunez and the fans, who would point at him as they called his name, bonded right from the off. But if Liverpool fans didn't know that Erling Haaland, who joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in the same summer, was a different beast, they would soon find out. Even though their head-to-head battle began with Nunez scoring and Haaland misfiring in Leicester, the former was at a loss as soon as the comparisons began with the Norwegian. Almost as soon as Nunez joined from Benfica for £85m in June 2022, a month after Liverpool almost ended the season winning every trophy on offer, he was pitted against Haaland. It was billed as a new sub-rivalry within an ongoing feud as Jurgen Klopp continued to look for inventive ways to overthrow Pep Guardiola's Manchester City dynasty. But Nunez did not arrive as the finished article. Klopp, who had pushed so hard to sign him, often looked frustrated trying to help his striker find those finishing touches. Advertisement Nunez's up-and-downness could be draining to watch but Liverpool always clung on in expectation of his next moment of magic. When it arrived in whatever way, shape or form, they would worship it. On his day he was the backheel finisher Real Madrid did not see coming in the Champions League. But he could also make a bulldozing run, get around the goalkeeper, see an open goal glaring at him and somehow hit the post, as he did in the Europa League against Toulouse. Ryan Gravenberch scored the rebound to save his blushes on that particular occasion, but Nunez still knowingly dropped to his knees with head in hands. He was aware he was battling an army of social media trolls who sat waiting to laugh at him. It was harsh and led Nunez to avoid social media entirely. He was persistent, though, and demonstrated an impressive capacity to bounce back. For some, he will be remembered more for those big misses, like the one against Ajax in the Champions League during his first season when he hit the post from five yards out, or at Luton Town when from even closer he scooped the ball up and over like he was trying to spoon cereal out of a bowl. For many Liverpool fans he will be remembered as a Premier League champion, as someone who was injured but went hurdling onto the pitch faster than anyone when, in Klopp's final campaign, Liverpool won the League Cup. Liverpool have been mocked by rival fans for their use of 'this means more' as a tagline. But when Nunez scored it didn't just mean more, it meant everything. Every fan wanted to see him reach the heights they believed him capable of. And when he celebrated with the kind of passion that could leave advertising boards broken, they did too. He would kiss his wrist after every goal, reminiscent of his compatriot and former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. When Nunez joined there was hope he could emulate Suarez, who scored 82 goals in 133 games for the club — and he did get off to the perfect start. Advertisement A week after winning the Community Shield, Nunez came off the bench for his Premier League debut on the opening day of the 2022-23 season to score and then assist Mohamed Salah in a 2-2 draw at Fulham. The next week, in his first home league game, he emulated Suarez for the wrong reasons when losing his cool and headbutting Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen, leaving Liverpool a goal and a player down. Perhaps his first two Premier League games sum him up best. Evolution became an overused term when discussing the man named Darwin but ultimately Liverpool under Arne Slot moved on without him. Last season, he totted up as many yellow cards (eight) as goal contributions (five goals, three assists) in 30 Premier League games. He started 17 league matches, his last coming against Southampton in March. Watching Nunez was like a sport within a sport and you had to be patient, especially when watching him time a run. Only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (70) was flagged offside more often than Nunez (62) among all Premier League players in the past three seasons. And while Liverpool fans might be left feeling short-changed, Nunez did deliver some all-time memorable moments. His two identical finishes to earn Liverpool a comeback win in stoppage time against Newcastle United in August 2023 showed him at his best. A goal scored off his backside when rushing at Sheffield United goalkeeper Ivo Grbic in April 2024 showed him at his hungriest. His stoppage-time brace at Brentford in January helped earn Liverpool a dramatic 2-0 win during their race for a 20th top-flight title. In fact, he scored (nine) and assisted (nine) more times in the final 15 minutes of games than he managed during any other time period. He was a roll of the dice Liverpool can no longer look to. But in selling him they could be about to invest that money into the signing of Alexander Isak, which would be a great parting gift. Nunez scored five times in pre-season, the last of them at the Kop end of Anfield in a 4-1 win against Athletic Club on Monday, tapping at the club badge as his final celebration in red. With his shaved head and more than a hint of flair, he also assisted a Harvey Elliott goal. Like all good showmen, he has left Liverpool fans wanting more — but for Nunez that was always the problem. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle