Bradley Barcola reveals Hugo Ekitike pushed him to join Liverpool. Former PSG teammates reunite at Anfield.
Former PSG player Hugo Ekitike crossed paths with Bradley Barcola in Paris for a few months, although the two never played together. They will now find themselves at Liverpool, to their great delight.
Arriving at PSG at the very end of the summer 2023 transfer window, Bradley Barcola made his debut in the Parisian jersey on Sept. 3, 2023, against Lyon, his former club, just as Hugo Ekitike, who had arrived in Paris a year earlier, was left out of the squad after refusing to join Eintracht Frankfurt. Ekitike would eventually join a club a few months later, without returning to PSG.
Barcola and Ekitike still crossed paths for a few months at PSG in training, and then with the France national team, starting in September 2025. The two French forwards will now find each other at Liverpool, but will have to wait a little longer to play together since Ekitike is recovering from a serious Achilles tendon injury sustained during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg against PSG on April 14.
In the meantime, Ekitike pushed to convince Barcola to sign for Liverpool, as the new Reds No. 29 acknowledged in his first official interview with the English club: "I don't know Jeremy (Jacquet, another Frenchman at the Reds), but I was able to speak with Hugo, since I knew him from the France team and from my former club. He was waiting for one thing: for me to sign this contract, and he often messaged me to ask whether I was coming and whether it was progressing. I can't wait for him to recover well and to be able to play with him."
On his side, Ekitike also reacted on Instagram to the official announcement of Barcola's transfer to Liverpool, saying he had been waiting for it for several weeks.
In other news, PSG are reportedly still active in the transfer market after selling Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye. The club would be targeting a defender and a forward before the deadline.
According to the insider account 'PSG Inside-Actus,' the Parc des Princes residents particularly like the profiles of Marc Pubill and Javi Rodriguez. Regarding the Atletico Madrid player, the Colchoneros have reportedly refused any approach for now. For Rodriguez, however, things could be more serious, with an offer reportedly already made.
