Liverpool transfer news LIVE: £120m Bradley Barcola deal, Cody Gakpo exit, latest updates today

Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live Liverpool transfer news blog on Friday, August 28!

A major breakthrough in the exhaustive Bradley Barcola saga finally arrived on Thursday, although the deal could have knock-on effects for Andoni Iraola's existing wingers.

Stay entirely up to date with the latest Liverpool done deals and rumours with our social-led live blog below!

Today's Liverpool transfer headlines

Liverpool agree nine-figure Bradley Barcola deal

Andoni Iraola makes Cody Gakpo admission

Liverpool transfer news today: What's happening on August 28?

The Barcola deal reached a significant new stage on Thursday, when multiple reports confirmed that a package worth £120m had been agreed in principle between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, with the player now officially a near-done deal subject to medical formalities.

The arrival of Barcola at £120m immediately raised questions about Cody Gakpo's future, and Andoni Iraola gave his most revealing answer yet on that subject at a press conference ahead of the home fixture against Nottingham Forest, saying: "When the market is open, you cannot guarantee anything with anyone. I can smell who we're going to sign and what positions but experience shows you that if there's an opportunity on the last day, you think: 'If it's going to improve us, then let's take it'."

Gakpo, who scored in the opening-day 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, has made 181 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions, scoring 51 goals, and signed a contract extension last summer that runs to 2030, but Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City are both understood to be monitoring his availability.

Iraola added: "Cody is playing very well for us. He's been very good since he came from the World Cup. I'd like to know how the market finishes, but at the moment I don't know what's going to happen."

The Dutchman had seemingly been leaning towards staying at Anfield, where Iraola feels he can get the best out of him, but an exit is not beyond the realm of possibility if Barcola immediately takes his spot on the left.

Liverpool's attempts to add a second winger suffered two further setbacks, with bids for Yankuba Minteh of Brighton & Hove Albion and Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace both rejected by their respective clubs, leaving the Reds without an obvious domestic alternative if the Minteh option closes.