Arsenal and Liverpool weigh bids for PSG winger Bradley Barcola as Trossard nears Besiktas

Arsenal urged to beat in Liverpool and sign ‘unbelievable’ Leandro Trossard replacement

Leandro Trossard is due to sign for Besiktas after the World Cup (Picture: Getty) Louis Saha has identified the perfect Leandro Torssard replacement for Arsenal and has urged the Gunners to beat Liverpool in the race to sign the World Cup star. The Belgium international has represented one of the smartest signings of Mikel Arteta’s tenure given he cost only £27million when he joined from Brighton three-and-a-half years ago. Having played a crucial role in Arsenal’s first title-winning campaign in 22 years, Trossard has been granted a move to Besiktas and will complete a £20m transfer after the World Cup. Arteta had been keen to add to his forward line even before sanctioning Trossard’s departure and has identified a number of high-profile targets. Don't miss a World Cup moment Bellingham has stood tall for Thomas Tuchel (Picture: FIFA via Getty) England need three more wins, how are your nerves? Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers is said to be keen on a move to the Premier League champions while Arsenal are exploring a move to sign Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. Arsenal are also keeping tabs on Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola who may seek a fresh challenge having slipped down Luis Enrique’s pecking order last season. Liverpool, too, are keeping tabs on the France international will face an even bigger fight for a place in the European champions’ starting XI with the impending arrival of Yan Diomande who snubbed a move to the Reds from RB Leipzig. Barcola has already impressed at the World Cup (Picture: Getty) One of Andoni Iraola first jobs as Liverpool manager will be to fill the void created by Mohamad Salah’s departure but Saha believes Barcola would be best served by moving to Arsenal. ‘Bradley Barcola is a terrific player, Saha told LiveFootballTickets. ‘He has already won two Champions Leagues, and he could even win the World Cup over the next few weeks, his achievements for such a young player are staggering. ‘He has become a much improved player over the past few seasons, he gets better and better every year, and he can go right to the very top of football.  New Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola (Picture: Getty) ‘What Barcola needs is to move somewhere where he is going to be first choice in his position week in, week out. ‘His confidence will improve ten-fold once that happens, and then he will be a way more dangerous player. If he gets a move to Arsenal, he would be unbelievable on the left-hand side for them. ‘His talent precedes him, and he has the ability to take any top attacking side to the next level.  ‘He has enormous potential. He is so direct, creative, and he has the ability to go in behind, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bidding war for him go on all summer between top sides if he wants to leave PSG and cement his place in a top Premier League side.’  Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

2 hours ago

Liverpool backed to hijack move for Arsenal transfer target: ‘Statement signing’

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (Picture: Getty) Emile Heskey has urged Liverpool to beat Arsenal to the signing of Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola and land a ‘statement signing’ for new boss Andoni Iraola. Barcola was a key cog in Luis Enrique’s side last season, scoring 13 goals in all competitions as the French side won Ligue 1 and the Champions League. But despite that, the French winger is said to be weighing up his future after PSG having grown unhappy with his lower game-time. Barcola, who is currently at the World Cup with France, was named on the bench for PSG’s Champions League final win over Arsenal and is reportedly not keen to extend his contract, which is set to expire in 2028. Don't miss a World Cup moment Wow (Picture: Getty) How do you begin to explain that? Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now. Mikel Arteta is a keen admirer of Barcola, with Arsenal considering a move for the Frenchman alongside their interest in Aston Villa and England star Morgan Rogers. Liverpool are also interested in signing the PSG star as they look to strengthen their options in wide areas following the departure of Mohamed Salah. And Heskey urged his former side to press ahead with that deal, insisting Barcola is just what Liverpool have been missing in wide areas. Bradley Barcola is considering his future at PSG (Picture: Getty) ‘Signing Bradley Barcola would be an amazing coup for Liverpool because he provides the pace and directness we’ve been missing on the left wing,’ he told Boyle Sports. ‘We’ve been spoiled with Sadio Mané and Luis Díaz, and now we need Barcola to get the fans off their seats again. ‘Liverpool looked to have missed out on Yan Diomande to PSG, but that could open the door to Barcola leaving, it would be a statement signing for Andoni Iraola that’s for sure.’ Emile Heskey wants Liverpool to explore a move for Barcola (Picture: Getty) Prising Barcola away from PSG could prove a difficult task, though, with the European champions reportedly in no rush to sell Barcola despite his grievances over his playing time. The Parisians have already sold Goncalo Ramos to AC Milan for €74million (£63.7m), while they will also look to cash in on Lee Kang-in and Randal Kolo Muani this summer. Furthermore, it is said that PSG value Barcola at more than the £116m which Manchester City forked out to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. Elsewhere, Heskey urged Arsenal to instead explore a move for England winger Marcus Rashford, and is confident the 28-year-old would be a significant upgrade on the Gunners’ current options. ‘I think Marcus Rashford needs to move on, I don’t think he’s staying at Manchester United,’ Heskey added. ‘It’ll be interesting to see where he goes. I doubt it will be another loan unless it’s a move with a view to a permanent deal. ‘I can’t see him staying at United. Aston Villa might take him on loan again with a view to a permanent move, I think he’d be a great asset there. After the season and the reception he had, a change seems likely. ‘I thought he might be heading to Barcelona, but it seems his time there has passed. I could see him thriving at Arsenal. I’m not a big fan of Gabriel Martinelli, I think Marcus is a lot better. It will be interesting to see if they look at him as their next left winger.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

23 hours ago