What Iraola actually said after the Forest draw

Anfield had barely stopped buzzing from a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest before Andoni Iraola was being pressed on the biggest story in Liverpool's summer. Asked directly about Bradley Barcola, the Reds manager chose his words carefully, but he did not deny that something significant is in motion.

"I cannot tell you anything right now but it is true that there are things going on and that is normal," Iraola said in his post-match comments. He went on to explain his broader philosophy on transfer window uncertainty, adding: "We are in the last weeks of the market and now we have to wait to see the squad that we will have on September 2, and this is who we are. We will then work with certainties. Now everything is quite uncertain and same for every team."

It is a measured, almost professorial response from a manager who clearly prefers to deal in confirmed facts rather than speculation. But reading between the lines, that phrase, "things going on", is as close to a wink at the cameras as you are likely to get from Iraola right now.

The Barcola deal and what we know about the numbers

The details behind the potential move are significant. Liverpool have agreed terms with Paris Saint-Germain that would see them pay an initial £106m for the France international, with a further £17m available in add-ons, taking the overall package to £123m. Those terms were understood to have been finalised between Wednesday evening and Friday night, which is an impressively sharp piece of negotiating in the final stretch of the window.

Barcola is reported to be on Merseyside this weekend for a medical, and the expectation is that the deal will be officially confirmed before Tuesday's 11pm transfer deadline. In other words, barring any late complications, Liverpool supporters could be waking up to a very different looking squad come Wednesday morning. For a club paying Champions League holders their asking price, this is clearly a statement of serious intent.

Iraola himself was careful not to prejudge the squad's shape, insisting that any proper assessment would only come once the window closes. "I think every analysis I can make is when I know the squad and when everything finishes," he said. "I will know who is going to be here all the season, or until January. So now we have waited all this time and we have to wait a few more days."

Other targets still in Liverpool's sights before the deadline

Barcola is not the only piece Liverpool are trying to add before the market slams shut. The club have been looking at further winger options, with checks made on Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr and Real Madrid's Endrick. Two bids have also been submitted for Brighton and Hove Albion's Yankuba Minteh, though both have been rejected and Minteh is understood to be unavailable until October through injury, which would appear to make that particular pursuit increasingly difficult to justify.

What Iraola's comments do confirm is that, publicly at least, he is refusing to set expectations before the full picture is clear. That is a sensible approach from a manager still learning the rhythms of his squad, but it also means Liverpool supporters will be refreshing their phones more than once between now and Tuesday evening. With a fee of £123m potentially about to be committed, the next few days will say a great deal about where this club sees itself heading.