At a Glance:
- Arsenal are monitoring Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola.
- They face competition from Barcelona and Liverpool for the winger’s signature.
- The Gunners should be favourites in the race to land him.
Arsenal are closely monitoring Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola ahead of a prospective summer move.
The Gunners may be embroiled in an intense Premier League title race and set to partake in the Champions League final, but Andrea Berta isn’t resting on his laurels. The Italian sporting director is eager to further strengthen Mikel Arteta’s squad over the summer, to ensure the North London club sustain their spell at the top competing for major honours.
It’s been well documented that left-wing is an area Arsenal are looking to bolster in the upcoming transfer window. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been mooted as a target for the Gunners, while Anthony Gordon has also consistently been mentioned as an option.
However, it appears Barcola may also be high on Berta’s list of left-sided reinforcements.
Arsenal monitoring Bradley Barcola
Barcola has enjoyed an outstanding three years in Paris since signing from Lyon in 2023. Last term, the French winger scored 21 goals and provided 18 assists in all competitions, although the addition of Kvaratskhelia to Luis Enrique’s squad saw him decline in prominence for PSG.
The Georgian, Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele are all ahead of Barcola in the pecking order at the Parc des Princes. Thus, it’s now understood that a summer move for the 23-year-old is on the cards, and a number of potential suitors have now emerged.
According to journalist Florain Plettenberg, Arsenal are among the clubs ‘closely monitoring’ Barcola’s situation. However, the North London outfit face stern competition from Barcelona and Liverpool for the wide forward’s signature.
🚨🆕 Arsenal are closely monitoring Bradley #Barcola and have gathered all the relevant information.
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) May 7, 2026
Arsenal – like FC Bayern, Barcelona, Liverpool and others – are looking for a new top player/talent for the left wing.
A Barcola move in the summer is possible. Like Anthony… pic.twitter.com/HWI42yV69n
It appears the Gunners are ready to launch a concerted effort to land Barcola, and the stars may be aligning, with the France international seemingly finally willing to part ways with the Ligue 1 giants.
The two reasons why Arsenal are likely to lead Bradley Barcola race
From Plettenberg’s reporting, it would appear Arsenal’s primary competitors for Barcola are Barcelona and Liverpool. This would make sense, with the other top clubs who could afford to sign the wide man either not in the market for a left-winger or simply not likely to be in contention.
Bayern Munich certainly could join the race, although they have Luis Diaz at their disposal. Real Madrid have an excess of top left-sided forwards in Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, while Manchester City have invested heavily in Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku.
Manchester United are expected to focus on rebuilding their midfield, rather than signing more wingers after landing Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha last summer. Chelsea likely don’t stand a chance in the likely scenario that they don’t qualify for the Champions League.
| Barcola’s Statistics 2025/26 | |
| Appearances | 51 |
| Goals | 12 |
| Assists | 8 |
| Shots per 90 | 3.65 |
| Expected Goals per 90 | 0.59 |
| Expected Assists per 90 | 0.25 |
| Key Passes per 90 | 2.00 |
| Successful Take-Ons per 90 | 2.00 |
Thus, it could be a three-horse race between Arsenal, Liverpool and Barcelona. The Gunners stand a better chance than both of their counterparts.
Barcelona likely don’t have the financial capacity to pull of a deal of Barcola’s magnitude, while the presence of Raphinha might make the Frenchman think twice about a switch to the Nou Camp. Meanwhile, Liverpool are more likely to push hard for a more natural right-sided attacker with Mohamed Salah leaving.
Thus, Arsenal could ultimately find themselves as clear frontrunners in the race to sign Barcola.
