Liverpool Eye Barcelona's Héctor Fort as Right Back Solution

Ronald Araújo’s arrival looked like it had closed the door.

Liverpool moved for the experienced Uruguayan this summer, attracted by his ability to anchor the defence at centre half and cover at right back when needed. For many, that signing felt like the final piece of their defensive puzzle for this window.

Spain is telling a different story.

Sport report that Barcelona right back Héctor Fort has appeared on Liverpool’s radar. The 20-year-old is the latest La Masia full back to draw attention across Europe, with the same report listing a long queue of admirers: Inter Milan, Fulham, Tottenham, and more. When that many names get thrown in, it can blur the picture, but it underlines one thing—Fort is firmly in the shop window.

The twist comes from Merseyside’s other half.

Everton are being framed as the most likely Premier League side to actually push a deal over the line. Fort has spent the last decade climbing through Barcelona’s academy, breaking into the senior setup and making 24 first-team appearances, 20 of them in the 2024-25 campaign. Last season he went out on loan to Elche, a crucial spell that gave him regular senior minutes and hardened his case as a ready-now option rather than a distant prospect.

Not long ago, many inside and around Barcelona spoke of Fort as the natural heir at right back, the next long-term solution on that flank. That narrative has shifted. The focus has turned to fellow youngster Xavi Espart, now viewed by many as the likelier long-term answer in that position.

When that kind of internal hierarchy changes at a club like Barça, opportunities open elsewhere.

Fort, once ring-fenced as part of the future at the Camp Nou, is now being talked about as available on the market. For clubs hunting a young, developed right back with top-level schooling, that’s the sort of situation that doesn’t stay quiet for long—especially with both sides of Stanley Park watching.