Not just Barcola: Liverpool ready to move for a different PSG star Iraola once labelled a "great player"

It's no surprise that clubs are desperate to sign Paris Saint-Germain's players after their consecutive Champions League triumphs have established them as a truly historic side

Therefore it is no surprise that their players are in such high demand. Well, it appears as though Liverpool are planning a double swoop of les Parisiens players.

As has been well-documented, the Reds' number one attacking target is winger Bradley Barcola. The Ligue 1 champions are reluctant to sell, but may be forced to do so if they manage to get their hands on Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco and RB Leipzig's Yan Diomandé; that would be one too many attackers.

However the Reds are being forced to play the waiting game, needing the Ligue 1 side to reduce their asking price that currently stands at around £116 million.

However, that may not be the end of Richard Hughes' Parisian shopping spree.

The other PSG player of interest to Liverpool

As reported by Liverpool-based journalist David Lynch, speaking in a YouTube video, Anoni Iraola side are interested in signing 23-year-old centre-back Illya Zabarnyi.

Since joining Bournemouth from Dynamo Kyiv in 2023, the Ukrainian international has racked up 81 appearances under Andoni Iraola on the South Coast.

His former manager who has since taken the reins at Anfield frequently praised his dependability, calling him a "great player" and noting "how reliable and how robust also he is, he's the kind of player that is very easy to coach.

His performances have caught the eye to such an extent that Paris Saint-Germain paid a whopping £57 million to secure his signature just 11 months ago.

However, the move to the French capital has so far not really worked out. The centre-back was unable to usurp either Marquinhos or William Pacho as first choice, making 37 appearances last season, albeit starting only twice in the Champions League, sent off during October's 7-2 league phase victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

Thus, PSG may well be open to selling the 23 year old, albeit they would like to recoup a decent percentage of the humungous transfer fee they paid to Bournemouth less than a year ago. If Zabarnyi does swap the Champs-Élysées for Merseyside, he would become only the second Ukrainian to represent Liverpool, after Andriy Voronin; a deep cut reference that one.

What Illya Zabarnyi would bring to Liverpool

As already alluded to, the 22-year-old endured a mixed campaign with PSG. He spent much of the season warming various benches, albeit did start 12 of their final 13 Ligue 1 games, with Luis Enrique prioritising the Champions League knockout phase.

Nevertheless, before that, the reason PSG signed him in the first place is because he had established himself as one of the best young centre-backs in the Premier League. In 2024/25, the Ukrainian started 36 of Bournemouth's 38 Premier League matches, missing only two due to suspension.

Were he to arrive at Anfield, assuming 35 year old Virgil van Dijk remains a locked in starter, his primary competition would be new recruit Jérémy Jacquet, who has just joined from Stade Rennais.

So, let's compare the duo.

Illya Zabarnyi vs Jérémy Jacquet 25/26 Ligue 1 statistics

Note: All statistics courtesy of Squawka.

The statistics from Ligue 1 last season underline that these two players are extremely different. Zabarnyi's primary attributes are on the ball, hence why he racked up more passes and touches, while acknowledging this is partially due to the fact that PSG dominate every domestic match they play.

Jacquet, on the other hand, had higher statistics for all the defensive metrics, namely duels, tackles, clearances, interceptions and ball recoveries.

Thus, the conclusion to draw is that the duo would actually form a very good pair, possibly doing so in the future, as 35 year old van Dijk won't be around forever. Zabarnyi is a player Iraola knows well, having brought him to England in the first place, so, assuming he is available at a decent price, this feels like a sensible signing.

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