PSG are already planning for life without Bradley Barcola next season.
According to L’Equipe, the Parisians have been sounding out Ferran Torres from Barcelona as a potential replacement for Barcola, should he leave this summer.
Gianluca Di Marzio goes further, reporting that Torres has reached an agreement in principle with the French champions.
Torres has been loosely linked with Arsenal, where the Spaniard could reunite with Mikel Arteta whom he worked with at Manchester City.
But PSG have moved faster and with more intent. They have already sold Goncalo Ramos to AC Milan and expect Lee Kang-in to join Atletico Madrid, while Randal Kolo Muani has also been shown the door.
They are clearly restructuring their attack, and that may indeed involve selling Barcola.
Arsenal are in a great position to sign Bradley Barcola
Arsenal have been firmly in the race for Bradley Barcola all summer, as they look to strengthen the left side of their attack.
🤔 PICK ONE: Would you rather Arsenal signed Bradley Barcola or Morgan Rogers this summer?
A Liverpool insider recently admitted it would be very hard for them to sign him, with the Frenchman reportedly looking towards Mikel Arteta and London.
PSG had previously insisted he was not for sale and valued him at €150million, which is a figure that will likely put the Premier League champions off.
But lining up Torres as a replacement suggests their stance might be softening.
If Barcola pushes to leave and PSG have a credible alternative in place, that surely changes things.
Liverpool and Bayern Munich are also interested, but it’s the Gunners that are the frontrunners.
That fee is enormous though, and yet another example of just how distorted the transfer market has become this summer.
At the moment, Barcola is fully focused on the World Cup, with France preparing to play Spain in the semi-finals. A certain Mikel Merino awaits.
Barcola’s future will not be decided until after the tournament, but this may well be the most encouraging development in Arsenal’s pursuit yet.
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