Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes that the Merseyside club has paid a justified and fair price for winger Bradley Barcola's transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, despite the hefty overall financial outlay.
The French forward joins the Reds for a guaranteed £106 million, with additional bonuses potentially pushing the total cost of the transfer up to £123 million.
Carragher is hopeful that the 23-year-old is yet to reach his full potential and will flourish at Anfield:
I hope he hasn't fully developed into the finished product just yet. There’s still room for him to grow and improve. From what we’ve seen of him at PSG in France, he’s still young. I’m confident that the peak years of his career will be in a red shirt, and we’ll witness his best football.
Despite the sizable initial outlay, the pundit insists the deal makes sense given the current transfer market realities:
When people say it’s an enormous amount of money—yes, the figure is indeed huge. But if you look at other transfers this summer, the base price tends to hover around £100 million. The rest is tied to bonuses, which, as I understand, depend on more than just appearances. To trigger those payments, he’ll need to achieve significant triumphs with Liverpool. Considering the sums players are going for, I don’t think this price is excessive. Honestly, for a player of his calibre, it’s quite a reasonable fee. Everyone knows his level and skill, and I’m pleased with this deal.
However, Carragher also expressed concerns that Liverpool still has problematic and vulnerable positions within the squad that management is unlikely to address before the transfer window closes.
