Xabi Alonso has already made Bradley Barcola transfer even harder for Liverpool

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Bradley Barcola is being strongly linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, although the Reds' chances of signing the PSG star have not been improved by Xabi AlonsoXabi Alonso looks to have made Liverpool's attempts to sign Bradley Barcola even harder(Image: Getty Images)Speculation is building over Bradley Barcola, with Liverpool at the forefront of the conversation over his future - although a transfer is going to be hard to come by.The Reds’ search for Mohamed Salah’s replacement looks to have led them to the Paris Saint-Germain star, with Yan Diomande now well and truly out of the question as he closes in on a move to Real Madrid.And there is reason for Liverpool to believe that a deal can be done for Barcola, with the 23-year-old having reportedly decided against signing a new contract in the French capital, having fallen down the pecking order under Luis Enrique.At the same time though, there’s a long, long way to go before any Reds fans can start thinking about Barcola lining up alongside the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai next season.Although PSG is now said to be open to selling, it won’t be doing it on the cheap. A fee of up to $193 million has been mentioned in some reports, with the French giant feeling that massive figure is more than justified.First of all, there’s the fact that Barcola is now a back-to-back European champion, and though he might have had to play second fiddle to Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for much of those Champions League successes, and impressive World Cup with France has underlined his quality as a player.Bradley Barcola could be heading out of PSG this summer(Image: Getty Images)Liverpool will need to try and negotiate that fee down if it is to land him this summer, and one of its former players hasn’t helped in that regard.Seeing Xabi Alonso become Chelsea manager was already a bitter pill to swallow for a lot of Liverpool fans, and they won’t appreciate that their former midfielder has likely made things a lot harder for his old club in the charge for Barcola.The Blues have also been linked with the winger, although it’s not that which will concern the Reds right now.

Learn moreLiverpool FC have launched their new home kit for the 2026/27, inspired by iconic adidas strip worn during the club's 1989/90 title-winning campaign.Morgan Rogers’ move to Stamford Bridge came as something of a surprise, given he had been heavily linked with Arsenal, and the fee involved was even more of an eye-opener.The $156 million (£117M) that the Blues splashed out is being reported as one of the factors that has based the thinking behind PSG’s valuation of Barcola, along with the $154 million (£116M) Manchester City has paid for Elliot Anderson.And the fact that Rogers picked Chelsea could end up working against Liverpool as well. It was suggested earlier this month that Arsenal was prioritizing the former Aston Villa star over Barcola, with Mikel Arteta keen to bolster his attacking options after selling Leandro Trossard.Chelsea signing Morgan Rogers has made things much harder for Liverpool regarding Bradley Barcola(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)With a sensational move for Vinicius Jr also looking as though it might have been ruled out, the Gunners’ attention may well have been drawn closer toward Barcola.That won’t make Liverpool’s efforts any easier.

Having another club vying for his signature will only serve to strengthen PSG’s argument for placing such a hefty asking price on his head, not to mention that Arsenal is currently in a much stronger position to splash the cash after its Premier League title win, with Andoni Iraola still needing to look at other positions beyond the right wing.Alonso and Chelsea have not done Liverpool any favors then. If Barcola is to make the move to Anfield, the Reds may have to get the deal done the hard way.