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Monday, August 31, 2026 | Daily Newspaper published by GPPC Doha, Qatar.

Tag Results for "Barcola" (2 articles)

Bradley Barcola made 152 appearances in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain. (AFP)
Sport

Liverpool sign Barcola from PSG for £124mn

France winger Bradley Barcola has become Liverpool's second-most expensive signing after joining the Premier League giants from Paris Saint-Germain on Monday. A source close to PSG told AFP that Barcola's transfer is worth "125mn euros (£107mn, $145mn) plus 20 million euros in easily achievable bonuses".The total fee of £124 million is second only to the £125 million Liverpool paid Newcastle for Sweden star Alexander Isak.Barcola's fee is the highest ever paid for a Ligue 1 player. It is also the 10th £100mn-plus transfer in Premier League history and the fourth such deal completed this summer.The 23-year-old is the third forward costing over £100mn that Liverpool have signed in two years. Isak arrived at Anfield last year and Liverpool also paid around £100mn to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. Neither player has yet lived up to the hefty price tag, although Isak missed much of last season due to injury.Barcola, who signed what Liverpool said was a "long-term deal", had yet to play for PSG this season amid the transfer speculation. "It's a great pride to be able to play for Liverpool. I'm very happy," he told his new club's website on Monday."It took a long time but I'm really happy today to be able to play for Liverpool and all I want is to be on the pitch and be able to play. I hope to achieve very big things. First of all, winning the Premier League - it's one of my biggest dreams in my life. It is to do that and to stay in this team in the long term - that's why I signed a long contract - and I hope I can do it."Barcola, a member of the PSG squad which won back-to-back Champions League titles in the past two seasons, has long been a Liverpool target. He scored 39 goals in 152 appearances and won three successive Ligue 1 titles during his time in the French capital after joining PSG from domestic rivals Lyon in a £38.6mn deal in 2023.Barcola also scored three goals for France during their run to the semi-finals at the recent World Cup. Rebuilding the attackLiverpool have been looking to strengthen in wide areas since the departure of Mohamed Salah at the end of last season. Luis Diaz's departure the season before left Liverpool's forwards without service from the wings. They have already signed Spain World Cup-winning winger Victor Munoz from Osasuna in the current transfer window and he has made a bright start, scoring the equaliser in Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, which followed the same scoreline in their Premier League opener at Newcastle on August 23.Barcola is expected to play on the left wing, with Cody Gakpo pushed down the pecking order and linked with a move to Manchester City. Barcola's arrival at Anfield sees him reunited with former PSG team-mate and current fellow France international Hugo Ekitike, who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. "I don't know Jeremy (Jacquet), but I was able to talk to Hugo, who I met in the French team and in my old club," said Barcola. "He was waiting for me to sign the contract, sending me messages often asking me if I was coming or not."I can't wait to get back together and be able to play with him. I already said (told him) that it is done." Barcola was not always first-choice at PSG, with Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue providing stiff competition for places, but he still played a key part in their Champions League triumphs. 

Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Ligue 1 match against Lens at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris Sunday. AFP
Sport

PSG maintain perfect start, Ethan Mbappe strikes late for Lille

A Bradley Barcola brace earned Paris Saint-Germain a 2-0 win over Lens in Ligue 1 on Sunday, while Kylian Mbappe’s brother Ethan scored deep into second-half added time to give Lille a last-gasp victory.The result sent PSG back to the top of the table as the reigning champions secured their fourth win from four outings this term.However, the match threw up some injury headaches for coach Luis Enrique ahead of the start of PSG’s Champions League defence next week, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lee Kang-in and Lucas Beraldo all limping off.Barcola sent PSG ahead on the quarter-hour with an elegant curling finish from 20 yards.New PSG signing Illya Zabarnyi came close to turning into his own net on 27 minutes following a rare Lens foray forward.But things did then go wrong for the dominant hosts as star winger Kvaratskhelia was forced off two minutes later with a calf issue, casting a doubt over his presence on Wednesday as PSG open their Champions League title defence against Atalanta.Barcola doubled PSG’s lead six minutes after half-time when he drove in from the left before arrowing a right-footed finish from distance past the dive of goalkeeper Robin Risser.But PSG’s injury woes accumulated in the second period when first midfielder Lee, then defender Beraldo had to be replaced.Earlier in Lille, 18-year-old Ethan Mbappe volleyed home eight minutes into injury time to give Lille a 2-1 home win over Toulouse despite the hosts being a goal down as the clock ticked past 90. A penalty at the very start of injury time converted by Nabil Bentaleb had brought the hosts level before Mbappe lashed home a late winner.Both goals came courtesy of late substitutes introduced by coach Bruno Genesio, after Toulouse were reduced to 10 men on 80 minutes.Following his departure from PSG in the wake of his elder brother Kylian’s acrimonious free transfer to Real Madrid, Mbappe joined Lille in July last year.The midfielder’s first strike for the 2020/21 Ligue 1 winners came on his 11th league appearance as he ghosted in at the far post to thrash Osame Sahraoui’s stood-up cross past the helpless visiting goalkeeper.“Last year was a bit of a difficult year for me, with a lot of injuries,” said Mbappe. “Coming back with a goal, honestly, there’s no better way to start a new season.”Frank Magri opened the scoring for Toulouse early in the second period before Lille’s late show.The last-gasp win provisionally took Lille to the top of the Ligue 1 table, on 10 points, before PSG won to knock them down to second. Lyon, the only other club to boast a 100 percent record in Ligue 1 this season, could take top spot with a victory in the weekend’s final match away to Rennes.Elsewhere, Liam Rosenior’s youthful Strasbourg side grabbed a 1-0 win at home to Le Havre thanks to Joaquin Panichelli’s 92nd-minute spot-kick. Paris FC claimed their second win of the campaign, holding out 2-1 at last-placed Brest, while Metz drew 1-1 with Angers.