Bayern München wanted Bradley Barcola. They also wanted Anthony Gordon. Max Eberl said the club looked at both players, then stepped away when the fees got too high. Liverpool's £123million agreement for Barcola is the clearest sign of the level Bayern were dealing with.

Bayern's limits on the market

Eberl told goal.com: "To be honest, I already know Bradley from my time at Leipzig. I wanted to bring him to Leipzig."

He added: "That’s how I developed a closer relationship with Bradley. So there was always interest there. Of course, we also looked into him at Bayern."

The key line came when he addressed the price. "When you hear about sums like that, it was too much for us. With Luis Diaz, we made a decision that was also costly, but on a different scale than Bradley."

That is where the Liverpool deal matters most. The club's £123m Barcola outlay is described as the second-most expensive signing in their history, behind Alexander Isak. Bayern were interested, but not at that level, and Eberl was just as direct on Anthony Gordon: "It’s no secret that we were interested in Anthony Gordon for the left wing," and, "We decided we were not doing that because he was simply too expensive."

The pricing also fits the wider pattern around Bayern's summer thinking. Barcola's move to Liverpool was already a huge commitment, and Gordon was still out of reach even after Bayern had looked at him for the left side.

What Liverpool have seen from Barcola

Barcola has already had a taste of Premier League football at Liverpool. He made his debut in the 2-0 victory away to Ipswich last Friday, where his first league appearance lasted 26 minutes. He then started for the first time in Liverpool's 2-1 win at home to Atletico Madrid, before going off with cramp ten minutes after Alexis Mac Allister's decisive second-half strike.

The early numbers are modest, but they show he is being eased in rather than thrown straight into every game. His first Premier League outing brought a 6.59 rating, and Liverpool sit 14th in the current table. Fulham are 10th ahead of Liverpool vs Fulham on Saturday afternoon.

Eberl has not hidden the basic issue here: Bayern liked the players, but the fees pushed both beyond their comfort zone. Liverpool have paid the biggest price of the two by a distance, and Barcola is already on the pitch trying to settle in.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →