Paris Saint-Germain’s president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has revealed the role that new Liverpool vice chairman Amit Bhatia played in sealing an agreement between the two clubs for the transfer of Bradley Barcola.
The 23-year-old has completed a £123m move from the Parc des Princes to Anfield, making his the second-most expensive transfer in Premier League history behind Alexander Isak and Enzo Fernandez, who now share the record at £125m.
While Barcola joined the Reds slightly earlier than the Deadline Day deal to bring Isak to Anfield from Newcastle United, it took nearly two months for an agreement to be found with PSG. It might have something to do with the fact that Richard Hughes was juggling transfer negotiations for Liverpool and Al Hilal this summer.
According to talkSPORT, Bhatia and Mike Gordon, president of Fenway Sports Group and involved in the day-to-day operatins at Liverpool, were crucial in landing an agreement with PSG.
? Jim White:
“Last night, I spoke to Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of PSG.
“[He said] Bradley Barcola is an amazing player, but our rule is that any player who doesn’t want to stay can leave.
“He then said it took a while, but Mike Gordon [FSG President, now running… pic.twitter.com/gi3ZkYHxU9
— Anfield Sector (@AnfieldSector) September 1, 2026
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jim White said: “Last night, I spoke to Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of PSG.
“[He said] Bradley Barcola is an amazing player, but our rule is that any player who doesn’t want to stay can leave.
“He then said it took a while, but Mike Gordon [FSG President, now running football operations at LFC] was very professional and very direct, and that’s why we closed the deal together. I thank him for that.
“He also mentioned the new vice-chairman, Amit Bhatia, being helpful in closing the deal.”
Barcola is the latest marquee signing completed by Liverpool.
Between Barcola, Isak and Florian Wirtz, Liverpool have now broken the £100m barrier for three separate players in the space of a year, signalling a change in the club’s transfer strategy.
Bradley Barcola is a Red.
Allez Les Rouges. pic.twitter.com/Z8eQY71dgQ
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 31, 2026
Compared to the approach we became accustomed to under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds are now a lot more free-spending than they ever have been. It likely has to do with the increase in commercial value of the club gained during the Klopp years.
But I also wonder if it has anything to do with the minority shareholder takeover conducted by Bhatia’s 1892 Holdings consortium, which includes Jeff Bezos.
It has been theorised that under Bhatia and Bezos that Liverpool will look to dominate, not just the Premier League, but European football on the whole in a commercial and sporting sense.
A key aspect of this will have to include some major financial flexing, but only time will tell if this will be the case, and whether or not FSG will be totally bought-out of their shares in the next 12 months by 1892 Holdings.
