Why PSG have just handed Tottenham major Cody Gakpo transfer boost

Tottenham Hotspur might just have moved subtly closer to signing Cody Gakpo.

If there was ever a performance that showed Tottenham need further forward line additions, it was Brentford on Saturday.

Roberto De Zerbi's side offered precious little in attack, registering just nine shots on goal with four on target.

No new signings have been made to Tottenham's attack this summer, but Gakpo could change that in this final week of the window.

The Liverpool forward has been widely touted to Spurs over recent weeks, as his role under Andoni Iraola remains unclear.

And, the first of the dominoes Spurs need to fall in order to secure his signature may just be about to topple.

Where does PSG's Bradley Barcola decision leave Tottenham's Cody Gakpo hunt?

It's reported that Liverpool won't consider selling Gakpo unless they sign Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain.

The 23-year-old is a versatile forward player like Gakpo, and thus would surely be seen as his replacement.

As a result, Tottenham's chances of signing Gakpo almost exclusively rest in the hands of Liverpool and PSG.

Their prospects, however, appear to have just risen considerably on Sunday.

The Parisians begin their Ligue 1 campaign with a 7:45pm kick-off UK time against Rennes on Sunday, and Luis Enrique has named his matchday squad.

Interestingly, and potentially significant for Tottenham and Gakpo, Barcola has been left out of the team.

With no injury known for the Frenchman, this can surely only be down to the transfer speculation linking him to Liverpool.

So, what is Barcola's PSG contract status, and why does it help out Tottenham in their pursuit of Gakpo?

Why PSG may be inclined to sell Barcola now

Relying on another transfer to go through in order to complete your own is never the position you ideally want to be in.

However, when it comes to landing a player of Gakpo's quality, Tottenham will happily take their chances.

What could scupper this is if Barcola had plenty of time left on his PSG contract, thus allowing the Parisians to perhaps take a more relaxed approach to his exit.

That's not the case though, as he's only contracted in Paris until the summer of 2028.

As a result, if PSG don't sell the forward this summer, they do risk seeing his transfer value fall significantly come this time next year with only 12 months left to run.

With this in mind, all signs point towards Barcola getting his move to Anfield before the 1 September deadline.

That will be music to Tottenham's ears, as Gakpo could quickly head for N17 as soon as that's confirmed.