Liverpool rumours 5

26 Jul 2026 11:40:15
Hi there again,

Follow up on the Barcola situation. It is now reported in French media that he declined to renew based only on play time. PSG offered him a more lucrative deal. Enrique was adamant to keep him at the club.



The player is convinced he can get first team game time at other clubs. We are not the only ones in it, keep an eye on Bayern where Luis Diaz could be on his way out as reported.

Cheers,

Red Ronson.

26 Jul 2026 12:39:31
Hi,

You mentioned that Barcola was going to sign a new contract, but now it's being reported that PSG have known for months that he wasn't planning to sign one.

Now it's to keep an eye on Bayern, while it is reported that Liverpool is his first choice and I doubt that he will fancy playing in the Bundesliga.

26 Jul 2026 12:49:12
I never said he will definitely sign, just that PSG were confident given the lucrative deal they offered and the status of playing for a team like them. Why would you leave them really? Game time, I suppose, although he plays 30 something games per season, but it's understandable if he wants a bigger role at another team.



I told you to keep an eye on Bayern if Luis Diaz goes to Saudi Arabia. As was reported, there are ongoing negotiations with Al Hilal.

26 Jul 2026 15:10:42
@Red Robson, It really doesn't matter if you, or anybody else, said he will or won't definitely sign. People read what they want to see more often than not. Keep posting the info, mate, like everybody who takes the time to pass info on, it's good to read and don't rise to the bait.

26 Jul 2026 11:26:14
Quansah, Chalobah and Sancho will soon be the next players were linked with. The first 2, I’d be okay with being youngish English and we know they can be around a Premier League squad.

But if we end up signing Sancho on a free, I will be disappointed, even if he had some okay cameos for Villa last season, but someone will point out he’s still young English and can play either side as a utility player, I understand he’s not very ‘Iraola’ but you could probably say the same about Emery and maybe needs must?

26 Jul 2026 12:25:53
I see the logic as a cheap back up, but he's not been good for a while now, and would be a hard sell to some, as he was an expensive flop at Man Utd. A versatile attacker on the cheap or on loan would be nice while Hugo recovers, but not Sancho.

Ferran Torres would be the ideal type of player, but too expensive, I'd say.

26 Jul 2026 12:30:39
He didn't make it at United or Villa. He won't make it at Liverpool. Pass.

26 Jul 2026 12:32:21
Wouldn't at all be surprised to see us trigger Quansah's release clause next summer to replace VVD or Gomez if he continues to do well in the Bundesliga.
It's approx £55mil.

26 Jul 2026 12:49:51
Hope not, Ginger. He's not good enough.

I also hope the rumours on Mama this morning are accurate. That the club have decided to loan him out next season, or maybe sell if the right offers came in.

26 Jul 2026 13:11:44
No, thanks.

26 Jul 2026 13:21:18
Aside from him being a wrong'un, Sancho is very slow.

Chalobah is going to Como.

Quansah? Let's see how he does for another year. I am not convinced he'll ever be good enough for us though. He doesn't have that mental edge.

26 Jul 2026 15:13:20
Maybe, nope, and definitely not in that order for me.

26 Jul 2026 11:10:47
Ndukwe has been denied a work permit and will need to go on loan to a team outside of the UK to hopefully gain enough points to qualify at the next possible attempt.

26 Jul 2026 12:59:16
It is feasible that we could still secure approval through an ESC allocation or youth exception. A youth-player Exceptions Panel is probably more likely because Ndukwe is a youth player. If we take that route, we could argue that he has "significant potential" and is good enough to enhance the development of English football.

His Austrian youth caps and prominent role at the 2025 Under-17 World Cup would presumably form part of that evidence, although approval is not guaranteed. I'd suggest it'll depend on plans for the backline, even though Ndukwe did very well in the game against Sunderland.

26 Jul 2026 13:14:27
I think a loan to increase his points would make more sense.

Good old Brexit, eh?

26 Jul 2026 15:50:37
I agree, Lofty1979, but I wouldn't discount making an application regardless of loaning him out.

26 Jul 2026 10:49:10
Think Hughes is playing 4D chess by getting his new Saudi club to go for Diaz so Bayern can go for Gakpo so we then have funds to buy 2 wingers.

26 Jul 2026 12:52:46
Hughes would struggle with Connect Four.

26 Jul 2026 13:17:32
😂😂 Best response I've seen for a while. Made me snot out my chilli and cheese toastie.

26 Jul 2026 10:25:39
Hi all,

Barcola update: "PSG are working on a renewal of his contract and are confident as Luis Enrique sees in him an important player in the squad.

Akliouche situation not linked to Barcola as I previously told you. PSG not interested in pursuing Diomande deal at this stage.

Balogun has interest from several PL clubs, not sure we are amongst them. Monaco expect around 60M€ for him, also interest from Spain and Italy."

Cheers,

Red Ronson.

26 Jul 2026 11:43:37
Fabrizio and others have just confirmed he will not sign a new contract.

26 Jul 2026 11:46:46
Just announced that Barcola isn't interested in signing a new contract and is open to exploring options away from PSG.

26 Jul 2026 11:55:44
This rumour came a bit after France saying he won't extend. I'm sure people are just on here to wined up us long time red men lol.

26 Jul 2026 12:01:35
Interesting timing - PSG journos and mainstream all reporting he isn't signing a new contract. Let's wait and see!

26 Jul 2026 12:09:32
I had the info this morning and published it at 10:25. People at the club were convinced that, given how lucrative the deal was, the player wouldn't be interested in moving to another club. All that was to settle was game time, but apparently the player decided he wanted a bigger role at another club.


I don't post to wind people up or to seek attention. I remember reading here that some people were guaranteeing you that Diomande will sign for us... still waiting for that to happen!

26 Jul 2026 10:00:59
Anyone get the feeling we’ve been played by Diomande's representatives, he seems Madrid bound and I’m sure their interest didn’t start a week ago.

26 Jul 2026 11:55:04
Yes, we've been played, we knew this several weeks ago.

26 Jul 2026 12:05:51
Watching exciting quick players be linked and it not go anywhere is annoying! All of our competition are making hay... we are falling behind. I'm hoping the kids can step up.

I just feel very underwhelmed. Love some positive news.

26 Jul 2026 12:10:53
Personally - I hope RM get him. We don't need him and the circus that surrounds him.

26 Jul 2026 12:38:38
Get Barcola and we're good for wingers in my opinion.

If Gakpo gets sold, then maybe get more of a striker who can potentially cover out wide (like Ekitike) rather than a specialist winger and we should be fine.



Rio, Munoz, Barcola, Isak, Gakpo or new CF + 2-3 players who can do a job out wide if absolutely necessary to manage minutes (Szobo, Elliott, Frimpong, Koumas, Morrison).

I think we'd be fine with that.

26 Jul 2026 13:09:50
I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't think Barcola is the right fit for us. Out of possession, I don't think he presses enough or tracks back. I know Salah didn't do enough at times, but we really need wingers or wide forwards that will do some of the dirty work too.

I'm not that bothered about Diomande either. All his agent antics, etc., could see that causing trouble.

25 Jul 2026 22:19:45
Shout out to @Ned who mentioned Byern as one of the German teams interested in Gapko.

Appears rumours floating of Diaz going to Saudi. Makes sense Byern taking another reasonably good Liverpool left winger, and making him world class in the space of a season.

A 60m fee should be commanded and required if we are to bring in numerous reinforcements.

Nothing concrete but worth noting.

25 Jul 2026 22:34:01
Thanks for the shoutout.

I read that Richard Hughes is apparently assisting in the acquisition of Luis Diaz - any light on that? I haven't heard anything from my circle regarding Hughes lately.

25 Jul 2026 23:12:14
I heard the same, @Ned. Not sure if there is any truth in that, but it wouldn't surprise me.

25 Jul 2026 23:40:46
Diomande going to PSG was fine. It opened up the Barcola move. Going to be a lot harder to get Barcola out of there now. I just hope we don't end up with Akhilouche. Good player, but we are desperate for pace and dribbling.

Is Minteh worth a punt? He could go either way.

Brighton would demand such a fee, we could be better off trying to get Rayan.

The market for wingers is poor, but unfortunately, we can't sit this one out. Missing out on Semenyo is looking worse every day.

25 Jul 2026 23:51:39
Minteh is crap. His second touch is a foul. Works hard and fast, but absolutely no technical ability.

26 Jul 2026 01:35:32
Diomande agreed terms with Real Madrid so he's off to another club, but, then again, it seems he's agreed terms with everyone.

26 Jul 2026 01:44:32
Good, I don't want him near the club.

26 Jul 2026 02:31:58
I don't think Diomande needed either - Iraola will play 4-2-3-1 with Isak at top and fully fit, Ekitike fit, Wirtz behind and Barcola as RW, and Munoz and Rio as the backup wingers.

As for the back and midfield, I think we're sorted. Stefan Bajcetic is a good backup if Frimpong is injured. Gakpo as 3rd striker or winger. He'll find his way out soon enough.

26 Jul 2026 05:30:02
The way it's going we can't afford to let Cody go.

26 Jul 2026 06:50:34
Minteh is far from crap, gave us a torrid time away last season, but the price would imo be too high....

26 Jul 2026 07:25:36
@stradrosso, Bajcetic as backup for Frimpong? What?

26 Jul 2026 07:46:57
I'd be very interested to see if Gakpo went to the Bundesliga and suddenly became a world class LW.

26 Jul 2026 08:05:10
So let me get this straight. Hughes, who is employed by Liverpool, is helping a Saudi club sign Diaz? It would be nice if he focused on signing players for us instead. But thanks for the info.

26 Jul 2026 08:44:13
If that's true on RH, he should be let go now. I can't see it, even our directors wouldn't let that happen.

26 Jul 2026 08:48:34
@stradarosso, Whilst I respect your comments and your right to a view. We are clearly short down the right hand side. Frimpong is an issue that needs to be resolved, Bajcetic hasn't kicked a ball for us in years and has a shocking injury record. Is he now fully fit and converted to right back?

Joey Gomez didn't waste any time last night, picking up the first of his 15 annual injuries he picks up. We cannot rely on him, and VVD is 35, and whilst he is our best, his performances are diminishing, as sad as it is to say. The same can be said for Allison.

Now, while I respect your right to an opinion, I don't agree with it. I think there are glaringly obvious gaps in the first team.

We 100% need a right sided utility defender. Someone who can cover CB and RB. Jacquet will be a start, but he is 20 and in a new league. We need someone else. We obviously need a right winger and some way of replacing Mo's 20+ a season return. We aren't going to get that from your suggestions. You also have to factor in that Ekitike is injured, and Isak will get injured at the first opportunity because that is what he does.

I have no doubt we will sign some players and we already look better than last season, but to say we don't need anyone and the backline is sorted? I don't know, I just don't know anymore.

26 Jul 2026 09:04:13
Who didn't give us a torrid time last season inverted? We made lots of v average players look good last season.

26 Jul 2026 09:30:38
@inbeta I think that would be in our best interests, but since the club does not want to sign Spence, who is too expensive for a reserve, the only alternative to Stefan slowly being integrated into the first team this season is a loan deal for someone like Zabarnyi or a cheaper, lower level player.

However, that cheaper, lower level player in this case, is probably Stefan itself. We don't want to be Chelsea who are buying players without looking into their academy.

26 Jul 2026 10:37:30
Gakpo has been linked on and off with Bayern for about 12 months, nothing new there. It's a bit like us with Adam Wharton. Eventually we may make a bid after scouting him relentlessly.

It's funny because at a glance you can see the pros and cons of both players, and neither have developed their game much.

Makes you wonder what the scouts at the big clubs actually do. They rarely unearth any unpolished gems, and often just play it safe.

26 Jul 2026 11:11:55
Love to have Sadiki.

26 Jul 2026 11:18:59
Us and City being heavily linked with Neto this morning. Although it's been dismissed by ITKs on here, it keeps coming back around. Probably his agents keeping his name in the press.

26 Jul 2026 11:20:33
Why, oh why, have we not sold sick note! Another wasted season being paid to sit on his arse, then go for nothing next year.

Any other business, someone making these decisions would be sacked. If he was worth good money, he would have been sold but not worth a carrot as nobody in right mind would take him even for free.

26 Jul 2026 11:28:42
What's new, @Overkill, is the Diaz rumours which then link to a potential move for Gapko as a replacement.

And, with RH being mentioned as an intermediary, it is certainly an advancement from previous rumours.

26 Jul 2026 11:35:14
Diaz was almost Player of the season in the Bundi, so.
Why would they sell?

26 Jul 2026 11:57:51
EUR150 million reasons why @Lightsise.

26 Jul 2026 08:21:49
I'd reckon coffan hughes is already as good as gone, I'd say new guys are already doing that job. Ed1 informed us that Mike gordon was running club from end of season more r less. Hughes maybe helping new guys out a bit in this transfer window before he leaves but I'd say that the height of it

25 Jul 2026 20:22:00
Liverpool have made an initial approach to Bournemouth for Rayan. Heard on the grapevine that they seemingly want as much as £75-80m, now that the Cherries would love to get funds for Jamie Leweling and Antonio Silva as the key reinforcements.

25 Jul 2026 21:01:42
A bid for Rayan makes complete sense - played under Iraola, has PL experience, left-footed right winger, still only 19.

25 Jul 2026 21:36:32
It seems absolutely crazy to me, this situation probably makes the most sense of all the available options. I swear, football is going mad.

25 Jul 2026 21:41:38
His release clause (which only activates in Jan) is £130m. If we try for him now, surely that number is higher. They have no reason to give us a 40% discount.

25 Jul 2026 21:52:11
You would think, gm01. Although, realistically, are they ever gonna get £130m for him?

25 Jul 2026 22:00:28
Rayan looks decent prospect on his 6-month showing, but still think if a deal
Is possible for Diamonde, he was prime target for a reason. If that's a no go and dead as is widely reported, then best to move on and Rayan looks like a prospect and built for the league, so could do much worse.

25 Jul 2026 22:12:06
I would love Rayan, although raw he has pace and power, can go both inside and outside, I think he would be terrific for us and actually better fit than Diomande or Barcola.

25 Jul 2026 22:35:11
Diomande wants to go to Real now. It's a joke. This is a player who has no faith in any team, he is not a fan of anything and anyone, and only cares about big bucks and individual glory. Liverpool should definitely stay away from him, and pick a player who really wants to wear the red shirt.

25 Jul 2026 22:40:04
That's a crazy deal by Bournemouth gm01, they've put a clause in Ryan's contract that after Jan, they can only accept an offer that's £130M?

What if he turns out not to be worth that? They'll be stuck with him until his contract runs out.

26 Jul 2026 00:40:08
80m is about right, I think, for such a highly rated player. That's the price nowadays though. As fans, I think we should not think too much about the money.

26 Jul 2026 01:29:26
No, Footyfan. They could sell him for 50p if they wanted to.
That's the price where they're contractually obliged to allow him to leave.

26 Jul 2026 05:32:43
Diomande is better than Rayan. There's a reason why the top handful of clubs on the planet are chasing Diomande.

26 Jul 2026 08:50:34
Had a wry smile at that. We need a right winger that's better than what we have in Rio, Munoz or even Morrison. How much better is Rayan? I genuinely haven't seen much of him to know if he's worth £70m plus.

26 Jul 2026 08:59:02
Those are some bold accusations, Denzl. As far as I can see, it's nothing to do with him. The guy is 19 and is being auctioned off by the look of things. Of course he'll consider Madrid. They are the biggest club in the world for most "non Liverpool" people.

Also, he hasn't moved yet, and the only comment he ever made was that he preferred PSG, and I am assuming this is because he speaks French. PSG were not prepared to pay the money that Leipzig wanted, so didn't make a bid. Madrid are the only club who made a bid for him so far.

So is it fair to say he has "no faith in any team"? Where does that come from? And only cares about big bucks? Did he not agree terms with us and PSG, meaning he was open to a move anywhere? If he only cared about big bucks, then surely he would have turned all the offers down and gone to the Saudi Pro League.

Just because we miss out on a player, that we haven't even bid on, does that make them the worst person in the world and it is open season to assassinate his character? Got absolutely nothing to do with the guy.

26 Jul 2026 11:41:05
Gotta agree with you there, Inbeta. There is a tendency on here to call anybody who doesn't end up signing with us or renewing their contract morally bankrupt individuals who should never darken our doorstep again. It's all well and good for us to be disappointed, but making conclusions about them as people, because they might want to go somewhere else, is something I find a bit hard to understand.


By the by, signing for Liverpool also absolutely qualifies as going for the big bucks and individual glory. Leipzig fans could justifiably ask why he doesn't just stay with them rather than flock to the wages on offer at the richest league in the world.

26 Jul 2026 13:13:59
I'm sure he is on decent money at Leipzig too. He will earn a good living. That much is guaranteed.

@Patrik, I usually scroll past these morons, but every so often people need to call this out. Even for the integrity of the site.

We won't sign every player that we are linked with and if they want to go to Madrid, or City, that is up to them. It is disappointing but it doesn't mean they are horrible people or greedy or whatever else we want to throw at them.

People just need to chill.

We will get some players in, and some will go, and some will go out on loan. It's all part of the window and the ITK's have told us from day one that the Diomande deal would be tricky because of his agency. I don't know how that translates into Diomande being after big bucks and having no faith in any team. Madness.

25 Jul 2026 20:17:00
Romano claiming Diomande has closed doors on English clubs and agreed to personal terms with Real. Initial bid rejected.

25 Jul 2026 20:47:08
Hope so.

25 Jul 2026 21:26:54
Thank God. RM or PSG can have him. I think at Liverpool, we want good players, yes, but we also want players with good character. Toxic players can stay far away from our club. I'm sure we can eventually find a right person to replace Salah.

25 Jul 2026 21:29:01
Seems he'll agree personal terms with anyone.

25 Jul 2026 21:56:47
In fairness your 19. If you believe the stories he's agreed terms with us, PSG and Madrid. What is wrong with that? Of course your gonna see what each club offers. Its 3 of the best clubs on the planet here.

I wouldn't necessarily label him toxic because of his agents. I've a 19 in the house that can barely make toast. He's a kid basically. I'd have liked him but I think he's destined for elsewhere now.

25 Jul 2026 22:01:32
Tbf to the lad it's probably his boyhood club and his dad probably supports them too.

26 Jul 2026 07:51:33
Diomande idols C Ronaldo, so him getting the chance to follow in his footsteps and play for the biggest club in the world (however odious the club is) would be an easy decision. We could say he is better coming here than going to Madrid later in his career, but I don't want us to be anyone's stepping stone.

We could always try to sign the next Diomande. There will be another player somewhere that will join the German or Portuguese or some other league, and have a great season, only to have a 100 mill price tag slapped on them next year. Let's try and get that player before that happens.

26 Jul 2026 08:58:25
Been told, even though his mam and auntie are Madrid fans, his uncles Derek and Keith are Barca fans, so there could be more twists and turns.

26 Jul 2026 09:01:11
I completely agree, Florian. There are too many posters here ready to tear players apart that haven't signed for us, and the real issue is because we haven't bid for them. Nothing to do with them being toxic.

26 Jul 2026 09:37:02
@inbeta1989, I agree. I still look at Mbappe and Olise with nothing but admiration. Do I care that they haven't joined our club? Absolutely not. I still recognise them as top players and great players at that. Diomande, I see, as taking in all the big clubs he's been offered to, and isn't too fussed where he goes.

It's fine to weigh up his options, and even if we don't get him, there is Rayan, Barcola and some other lesser known options we can pursue!