Bradley Barcola is joining Liverpool for £100 million, with a further £20 million in add-ons. His terms were settled weeks ago, so what is left is a medical and paperwork rather than a negotiation.
The structure is the story of the whole summer. PSG valued him at around £145 million and held there for weeks, turning down an opening offer of roughly £90 million. Liverpool were willing to spend heavily but not to beat the £125 million they paid for Alexander Isak, and £100 million guaranteed keeps them under that line while giving PSG a headline number of £120 million if everything is triggered. Both sides get to describe this as a win.
The player made his position clear long before the clubs found theirs. He has two years left in Paris, no intention of signing an extension, and the move to Anfield appealed to him from the start. He was then left out of PSG's squad entirely for Sunday's 2-2 draw with Rennes, which is usually the last public signal before one of these is finished.
For PSG it is a sale they did not want to make. They do not regard Maghnes Akliouche or Mathis Godts as replacements, and by preference they would have kept a 23-year-old who has been a regular since arriving from Lyon in 2023. A contract running down and a player who would not renew forced it.
For Liverpool it is the summer's headline signing, and it comes with a consequence: the squad has one winger too many with Barcola in it, and Cody Gakpo's future is where that resolves.
Neither club has announced anything yet.