Bradley Barcola could be the most expensive transfer of this summer window but why is he so prized? He has achieved plenty already. But there is more to come.

The 23-year-old France international has just won the Champions League with PSG back-to-back but had to be content with coming off the bench in both finals. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s arrival from Napoli in January of 2025 established him as first choice on the left.

But just because Barcola is not a guaranteed starter in Paris does not mean that he is not a guaranteed star. This is a player with pace, physicality and intelligence, someone whose skills have been honed under Luis Enrique. With Barcola, the potential is as vast as the fee.

The rise of Barcola

For a player so highly rated, Barcola’s rise has been serendipitous. At Lyon, he was on the fringes of the first team under France legend Laurent Blanc until a player exit changed everything. “That was a turning point,” Jean-Francois Vulliez told Sky Sports.

“A club in Switzerland was interested because he was not playing for the first team. At that time, Blanc was the coach and we had Karl Toko Ekambi. But he decided he wanted to leave so the coach decided to stop the loan because we might need Bradley.

Vulliez explained: “It was a key moment because he realised that if Toko Ekambi left, Bradley could be a solution and there was an opportunity to use him. Toko Ekambi did leave. Bradley stayed. One match later, there was an injury and Laurent needed him.”

Having worked with Barcola as a boy in Lyon’s academy, Vulliez knows him well. In fact, he actually followed Barcola to PSG and now works as a development coach for the French and European champions. In his job, he has seen plenty of standout youngsters.

But Barcola was not necessarily one of them. He was a talent, for sure. But this level of success? That was not obvious. “He was a normal kid, he never played above his age category, never jumped a stage. His maturation was a normal process,” he explained.

“It is an interesting pathway because every player is different. Sometimes, there are players like [Kylian] Mbappe who mature very early. Others need time. Bradley never played for France’s age-group teams. He was a good player but not physically ready.

“We were very patient with him at Lyon because we knew he had the skills, we just had to wait for that maturation process, that psychological maturation, that physical maturation. When that transformation eventually happens, they will improve quickly.”

Following Toko Ekambi’s exit, Barcola scored five goals in nine games in early 2023 and after impressing for his country at that summer’s European Under-21 Championship, there came a protracted move to PSG. “His body was in Lyon but his head was in Paris.”

The three seasons that have followed have brought 13 trophies and 39 goals in over 150 appearances. Under Luis Enrique, he has adapted his game, taking much better care of the ball than before. Barcola knows when to run at defences and when to keep it simple.

The player that Barcola is today is a product of that understated youth career. A late developer physically, dominating defenders was not an option as a teenager. That forced him into finding other ways. “He developed his intelligence,” pointed out Vulliez.

“He was able to scan the pitch, take good information and use the space. Very early, he had this and he had speed. Then, he progressed with his muscles, became powerful. It is a combination of these tactical abilities, technical abilities and physical abilities.”

Barcola has been used primarily as a left-sided wide forward at PSG. But his instincts are closer to that of a striker than a winger. Indeed, he played up front at Lyon until the age of 17. From that flank, he can cut inside and shoot into the far corner with his stronger foot.

They are instincts that are hard to teach and top clubs cherish those in wide positions who possess them because it is not enough to look good – players need numbers. Barcola is balanced, in this sense, because he can score goals and create chances for others.

This graphic highlights his impressive shot volume for PSG, ranking among the top 10 players in Ligue 1 per 90 minutes last season. Playing wide does not stop him. “He is very clever with his runs inside.” The timing of those movements is an important trait.

“Because he played as a striker, he retains that ability to know when he needs to come inside and when he needs to run beyond. With Bradley in your team, you need to use this capacity to come between the lines or run from deep, because it is his strength.

“We never had a problem with him at the academy because he is intelligent and listens so when you are the coach that makes it easier to manage him because he can adapt to whatever strategy the coach wants to use. He understands because he is clever.

“I do not think you can transform a player after the age of 17 because if the player does not have the intelligence at that age then they will never have it. That is why it is vital to develop this intelligence early. Bradley has it. You can adapt his position later.”

More will be demanded as he progresses. His finishing can be a little lax. Enrique has pushed him to become more clinical. But there is time. “There are many very good players who improved their finishing when they became more mature,” said Vulliez.

“As with every young player, sometimes they need that push but he has the mind to do it and that makes it easier. Maybe the left wing is the better position for him right now but I am curious to see how he develops because I believe he is able to become a No 9.”

That flexibility makes him appealing. Barcola has operated on the right too and has the pace to get to the byline if that is what the coach wants from him. He ranked among the top 10 fastest players in the Champions League last season. He can play knock and run.

He is a better player than the one who arrived in Paris, better too than the prospect in Lyon’s academy. “Nobody could have imagined this,” Vulliez conceded. The question now being asked by clubs regarding Barcola is how much better he could still become.