The Barcola picture is getting clearer by the hour

Liverpool's pursuit of Bradley Barcola has been dragging on long enough to try anyone's patience, but Saturday brought genuine cause for optimism. Reports out of France indicate that two new wingers are heading to PSG imminently, with both Godts and Ferran Torres set to undergo medicals in Paris after the latter completed a £42m move from Barcelona. Torres will wear the No. 9 at the Parc des Princes, and with Luis Enrique's attacking options piling up, something has to give on the outgoing side. Whether it is Barcola, Mbaye, or both who depart the French capital first remains unclear, but the picture is shifting. Liverpool have been patient in this one. That patience might be about to pay off.

It is worth remembering the context here. Pre-season results have raised a few eyebrows and the need for a genuine attacking addition is not something the club has been shy about acknowledging. Barcola would represent exactly the kind of quality and directness that could complement what Andoni Iraola is building. The next few days could be telling.

The squad numbers problem is very real

Ronald Araujo's arrival from Barcelona on a season-long loan, which carries a £47.1m option to buy, has been widely welcomed and rightly so. Iraola has already spoken warmly of the signing in the matchday programme for the Como double-header at Anfield, saying: "We are, of course, very pleased to have added a player of such quality and experience and I am sure he will settle in quickly and have a positive impact on our squad."

Former Reds defender Glen Johnson was equally enthusiastic about the deal's structure, stating: "Time will tell with the loan deal for Ronald Araujo, but I think it's a very clever signing. Liverpool could have quite easily gone out and dropped £50-100m on a new centre-back, but they've shrewdly signed a great player on loan." Hard to argue with that assessment. Pairing Araujo alongside Virgil van Dijk would give Liverpool one of the most formidable defensive partnerships in European football.

However, the arrival has triggered a very real administrative headache. The Reds have now filled all 17 of their permitted non-homegrown spots in a 25-man squad. With 31 senior players currently on the books, Liverpool would need to leave out eight for Champions League registration and six for the Premier League. The maths are unforgiving. Sales are not just desirable at this point, they are necessary if any further incomings are to happen.

Curtis Jones, exits and the loan conveyor belt

Curtis Jones remains a serious target for Inter Milan, though Liverpool's valuation is currently holding things up. The club want in excess of £30m for the midfielder, who has just one year left on his contract. That asking price will either find a buyer or force a rethink as the window runs down, but it does not feel like a situation that resolves itself quietly.

Elsewhere, the loan conveyor belt is running at full speed. Calum Scanlon has returned to Cardiff City for the 2026/27 season after helping the Bluebirds win promotion last term. The 21-year-old left-back penned a new Liverpool deal before sealing the move, and sounded raring to go: "I'm grateful for the experience I've already had here and I can't wait to make new memories at the club. I'm ready to go, it's been a positive pre-season getting minutes. It was good for me. My body is ready for the season." James McConnell, meanwhile, is reportedly close to joining Championship side Preston North End. Young striker Keyrol Figueroa has also attracted loan interest from League One's Barnsley and League Two pair Salford City and Shrewsbury Town.

One note of frustration concerns Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who has genuinely impressed in pre-season since joining from Austria Vienna for £2.6m. The young centre-back has been a revelation filling in at the back, but he is ineligible to play competitively this season because he does not meet the points threshold required for a UK work permit. Given how thin things have been defensively at times, that is a bitter pill.

Sunday, and then the real business begins

Before any of the transfer noise reaches its conclusion, Liverpool have one more piece of pre-season business to attend to. Iraola's side host Italian club Como at Anfield on Sunday in their final warm-up fixture before the Premier League campaign gets under way. With a curtain raiser at St James' Park already on the horizon, and Newcastle reportedly eyeing Brighton's Carlos Baleba to bolster their midfield, the Reds will want to head into that one with momentum, a full squad, and ideally a new winger or two confirmed. The window is heating up, and the next week could define Liverpool's entire season.