Ousmane Dembélé bids farewell to Bradley Barcola

Bradley Barcola’s departure to Liverpool leaves Paris Saint-Germain without a familiar attacking partner for Ousmane Dembélé and creates a larger leadership responsibility for the Ballon d’Or holder. Their close relationship, built at PSG and with France, had also produced a strong understanding on the pitch.

Barcola’s transfer was confirmed on Monday at a club-record €145 million, including bonuses. The 23-year-old has moved on after three seasons in Paris, choosing Liverpool’s project over continuing with the French champions. Although he was not always a guaranteed starter under Luis Enrique, his exit removes an important option from the capital’s attack.

Dembélé used an Instagram story to send his former team-mate a personal farewell. Alongside a photograph of the pair, he described Barcola as his brother and added a heart, while wishing him happiness and success in the next stage of his career. The message reflected the connection between the two internationals away from the pitch as well as their technical partnership.

Barcola leaves PSG after 152 appearances, 39 goals and 37 assists. He also helped the club win two Champions League titles, scoring important goals on the way to both finals. Dembélé must now build new attacking combinations while taking on a more prominent role in the Paris squad.