There is nothing quite like Liverpool identifying a target to suddenly make everyone else want the same player. Bradley Barcola has been firmly on the radar at Anfield as the club look to bring in a top-quality winger before the new season kicks off, but now the vultures are circling — and one of them is wearing red and white.

The 23-year-old France international has emerged as a leading priority for Liverpool as they look to bolster the wide areas of the squad. Paris Saint-Germain, as you might expect, are not exactly scrambling to do anyone any favours. They have placed a valuation of around £145 million on Barcola, which would make this one of the most significant pieces of business Liverpool have conducted in some time. The encouraging news, at least from a Liverpool perspective, is that the player himself is understood to be open to a move to Anfield. That matters. A willing participant makes every negotiation a little less painful.

But nothing in football is ever straightforward, and now Emmanuel Frimpong, a former Arsenal midfielder, has publicly called on his old club to swoop in and hijack the deal. Speaking to Ladbrokes, Frimpong was in bullish mood about where Arsenal need to strengthen this summer, and Barcola was right at the top of his list.

"We've got the players, we've got a deep squad and hopefully this summer, the board are going to strengthen further, because I still think we need a couple of wingers and a proper number eight," Frimpong said. "I feel like Declan Rice is playing in a position which isn't natural to him, so we need a proper number eight alongside him."

Frimpong's comments come in the same breath as his enthusiasm about Arsenal closing in on a deal to bring Bruno Guimaraes to the club from Newcastle United for around £80 million. A big window is clearly being planned in north London.

"For me, when it comes to realistic signings this summer, with those positions in mind, I feel like Bruno Guimaraes is someone I'd love to see at Arsenal," Frimpong added. "And also Bradley Barcola. I think he would be very good for Arsenal. Barcola and Bruno Guimaraes would be a very good transfer window for Arsenal."

It is worth taking a breath here. Former players urging their old clubs to do things in the transfer market is one of the oldest and least consequential traditions in football. Frimpong is not in a boardroom. His opinion, passionate as it is, will not redirect Liverpool's pursuit of a player they have been working on for some time. Still, it is a reminder that if Liverpool do not move decisively on Barcola, there will be no shortage of other clubs who fancy their chances.

The more intriguing intervention, from a Liverpool supporter's point of view, comes from Vladimir Smicer. The former Red, a Champions League winner with the club, has been casting his eye over the winger market and has come to a rather different conclusion about who Arne Slot's side should be chasing.

"I think we need somebody special," Smicer told Casinostugan. "I don't know who's really available or the prices. I love Kvaratskhelia from PSG, he would be the dream."

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, of course, is also at Paris Saint-Germain, which raises an obvious logistical question. Smicer, to his credit, acknowledged it himself.

"But why would any important player leave PSG when they want to win the Champions League? We need to stay realistic."

It is a fair point, and it is the kind of grounded thinking that often gets lost in the excitement of a transfer window. PSG are building towards European glory, not dismantling their squad for the convenience of Premier League clubs. Getting one player out of there at a sensible price is a challenge. Getting two would border on the miraculous.

Smicer also name-checked Rafael Leao at AC Milan as another option worth considering, noting that the Portuguese wide player spent stretches of last season on the bench without a clear explanation. "I like Rafael Leao from AC Milan. He was on the bench this season and was not playing regularly. I can see something in him, but I don't know his character or why he's sitting on the bench. There must be a reason," he said. It is an honest, measured take — acknowledging the talent while flagging the obvious question mark. Exactly the sort of nuance you want from someone who actually played at the highest level.

The most telling line from Smicer came at the end. "I just hope Liverpool will make the right decision and choose the right players." It captures what every supporter is feeling right now: a quiet anxiety, a desire for the club to get this one right. Adding a genuinely elite wide player changes everything about how this team functions going forward.

Liverpool are working the phones on Barcola. The player is interested. The fee is enormous. And now everyone else wants a piece of the action too. The next few weeks are going to be very interesting indeed.