The endorsement Liverpool will want to hear

If Liverpool needed an outside voice to cut through the noise on Bradley Barcola, Louis Saha has provided exactly that. The former France international has come out firmly in favour of a move, describing the PSG winger as a "top level signing" and backing his quality in no uncertain terms. "He's quick, he can provide assists to other players and score goals as well, so it's easy to see why Arsenal and Liverpool are taking a look at him," Saha told Mr Gamble.

Saha went further, comparing Barcola's movement and technical quality to a player well known to those who follow European football closely. "He is a powerful runner with quality off the ball that reminds me of Federico Valverde but a bit quicker," Saha said. "Barcola is able to make these runs that are very damaging for any opposition, and he is so technically strong in the final third." High praise, and from someone who has played at the very top of the game.

Putting the positional debate to bed

One question that has hovered over Barcola's potential arrival at Anfield is whether a player so closely associated with the left flank can genuinely operate on the right. Saha was having none of it. "It is too restrictive to think a player can only play on one side or another," he said. "It is these ideas that are killing the game."

He reached for a Liverpool example to make his point, and it is a pretty compelling one. "Look at Sadio Mane. He played on the right for Liverpool. They signed Mohamed Salah so he played on the left." It is hard to argue with that. Mane was one of the finest forwards this club has seen and he adapted without fuss whenever the situation demanded it. If Barcola is half as flexible, the positional concern looks like exactly what Saha says it is, an unnecessary limitation.

Where the deal actually stands

For all the warm words, the hard reality is that Liverpool and PSG are still some distance apart. The French champions are holding firm at around £145m for a player who has two years remaining on his contract and has made clear he will not be signing a new one in Paris. Barcola has reportedly told PSG he is open to a move to Anfield before the window closes on 1 September, and his stock at Parc des Princes has fallen sharply after the club brought in Mika Godts, Ferran Torres and Maghnes Akliouche this summer to compete with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele.

The Reds have been in negotiations for a number of weeks now, working to bring that valuation down, but a breakthrough has not yet materialised. Saha noted that agents are pushing all available levers to keep the price elevated, referencing other high-profile transfer sagas as a cautionary tale. The clock is ticking, and with the window shutting at the start of September, the next few days could prove decisive one way or another.