Liverpool's Transfer Strategy: N'Guessan for 2027 and Barcola Signing

Liverpool’s late-window plans are accelerating on two very different timelines: one for tomorrow morning, another for three years from now.

N’Guessan locked in for 2027

Fabrizio Romano has delivered his trademark “here we go” on Liverpool’s move for Saint-Etienne prodigy Djylian N’Guessan, confirming that the 18-year-old will become the latest piece of the club’s long-term rebuild.

The deal is agreed with AS Saint-Etienne and with the player. N’Guessan, a versatile forward regarded as one of the standout attacking prospects in Ligue 2, will remain in France for another season before officially joining Liverpool in the summer of 2027.

The move had first been flagged by Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna, who reported “advanced negotiations” between ASSE and Liverpool and described N’Guessan as a “great prospect for the future” in the eyes of the Anfield hierarchy. With his contract running to 2027, Saint-Etienne were always likely to cash in once serious bids arrived, and Liverpool have now stepped in with a concrete plan built around patience rather than instant impact.

Romano later confirmed that Liverpool have secured authorization for N’Guessan’s medical and that the deal follows the signing of Lucca Brughmans as another investment aimed squarely at the next generation, not this week’s team sheet.

It is a quiet, calculated move in a window otherwise dominated by noise.

Barcola in, Gakpo out, City circling

The present, though, is anything but quiet.

Bradley Barcola has already completed his medical ahead of a high-profile switch from PSG and is poised to sign his Liverpool contract. That signing is expected to set off a chain reaction at the top end of the Premier League.

Cody Gakpo, once seemingly destined to stay and fight for his place, is now closing in on a move to Manchester City. The Netherlands international has turned down a proposed £85 million transfer to Tottenham Hotspur and instead set his sights on the Etihad.

According to Romano, Gakpo has an agreement in place with City on personal terms, with the champions also sending an £85m bid to Liverpool. The key caveat is clear: Liverpool will only green-light the sale if they land a right winger before the deadline.

No winger, no Gakpo sale. That is the equation.

Sarr tops the winger shortlist

So who unlocks the domino?

Romano reports that, as things stand, Ismaila Sarr is ahead of Yankuba Minteh in Liverpool’s thinking. The Crystal Palace winger has emerged as the preferred target for the right flank, and he wants the move. Palace, though, are not rolling over.

Liverpool have already tested their resolve. A formal offer worth £45m plus £5m in add-ons – a £50m package – went in earlier this week. Palace rejected it. Publicly, those close to the situation pushed back on talk of a bid, but Romano insists the offer was official and on paper, not just a phone call.

Palace’s stance remains firm for now. They are saying no to Sarr’s exit while simultaneously scouring the market for potential replacements in case a proposal lands that they simply cannot refuse. Until that happens, they are holding the line.

Sarr, for his part, wants Anfield. His future now hangs on whether Liverpool return with an improved bid and whether Palace decide this is the moment to cash in.

Window on a knife-edge

All of this is playing out in the final stretch of the summer window, with Liverpool’s recruitment team being “offered wingers every minute,” as Romano puts it, by agents and clubs who know the obvious: Liverpool need a right-sided attacker, and they have serious money on the table for Gakpo.

Barcola is coming. N’Guessan is parked for 2027. Gakpo is ready for Manchester City if the conditions are met. Sarr is pushing for the move that would trigger it all.

Liverpool have their future mapped out. The question now is whether they can fix the present before Tuesday night slams the window shut.