The manager who brought Rayan to England now wants him on Merseyside.
Andoni Iraola signed the 19-year-old Brazilian winger for Bournemouth in January and, weeks into his new job in the Liverpool dugout, is reported to see the same player as the club’s most attractive backup if their pursuit of Bradley Barcola stalls.
talkSPORT reporters Alex Crook and Ben Jacobs described Rayan as a dream target for Liverpool, with the significant caveat that his Bournemouth release clause of “over £85m” does not become active until 2027.
Bournemouth are under no obligation to sell this summer and, under new head coach Marco Rose, are widely reported to be intent on keeping him for another season.
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An £85m clause and a £130m counter-figure
The £85m talkSPORT figure sits below the number carried elsewhere. TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey reported earlier this month that Rayan’s clause is £130m, active from the January 2027 window onwards, and that Liverpool have already sought Iraola’s assessment of the player before deciding how far to push.
Iraola signed Rayan in January, worked with him through his opening months in the Premier League and left Bournemouth at the end of the season to replace Arne Slot.
Rayan’s return so far, five goals and two assists from 13 Premier League appearances, then a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad, is what has moved him from prospect to £100m-range name.
Barcola is still the first plan
Caught Offside reported on 26 July, citing insider Indy Kaila, that Liverpool had lodged an official bid worth €105m plus add-ons for Barcola, a total package of €120m.
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PSG’s own valuation runs a good way beyond that at around €170m, roughly £145m, on the back of two strong Ligue 1 seasons and a prominent World Cup summer.
Barcola himself is said to prefer Liverpool to the alternatives and has turned down PSG’s most recent contract offer with two years still to run.
Bournemouth’s stance on Rayan, conveyed to reporters inside their Austria training camp, is that he is not for sale this window.
With the Premier League summer window closing on 1 September, Liverpool have five weeks to close the gap on PSG’s Barcola valuation before the Rayan avenue narrows to a wait for the release clause to open in January.
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