Hugo Ekitike sends message as Liverpool announce Bradley Barcola signing

Hugo Ekitike has sent a welcome message to Bradley Barcola after he was officially unveiled as a new Liverpool player.

Barcola has been a top target for the Reds throughout the summer window in their search to bolster Andoni Iraola's squad.

Their chase of his services has lasted for months following his fall down the attacking pecking order at PSG.

Barcola struggled to start regularly towards the end of last term, particularly in the Champions League as the Parisians successfully defended their European crown.

Liverpool made a breakthrough in talks last week after the 23-year-old indicated a desire to pursue a move to Merseyside.

They have now completed a deal to take him to Anfield for a reported £120million, with Ekitike clearly happy that his friend has joined him at the club.

Hugo Ekitike pokes fun at long Bradley Barcola to Liverpool saga in welcome message

Sources exclusively revealed to Football Insider in mid-August that Liverpool were hopeful of signing Barcola before the transfer deadline as they looked to compromise with PSG.

The Ligue 1 champions were initially looking for a package of around £140m, but Liverpool have managed to broker a deal worth a reported initial £100m, plus £20m in add-ons.

Barcola has not featured for PSG since the end of last season, when he registered 13 goals and eight assists in 55 appearances.

Liverpool announced his arrival on social media on Monday afternoon, with Ekitike taking to his Instagram story to share their post alongside the message: "Welcome @bradley_dls. I've been waiting for you for three weeks," alongside red heart and laughing emojis.

The pair have featured once together before now, in a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win for France against Azerbaijan last November.

Harvey Elliott update drops as Barcola arrival pushes him further down pecking order

Barcola can feature on either flank and will be an instant starter for Iraola's side, with their business now seemingly finished for another transfer window.

More outgoings are expected before the deadline, with sources exclusively revealing to Football Insider that Valencia have submitted a loan offer for outcasted attacker Elliott.

The 23-year-old has been told that he can leave Anfield before the end of the window, having failed to feature in a competitive game at the start of this season.

He is also believed to be attracting interest from RB Leipzig, as well as some Premier League and Serie A sides.