Liverpool Eyes Barcelona's Hector Fort as Right-Back Solution

Liverpool’s search for a long-term answer at right-back has led them back to Barcelona — and to a familiar production line.

With the summer window ticking into its final weeks, the club has already moved decisively in defense. Jeremy Jacquet has arrived from Rennes to bolster the center of the back line, while Ronald Araujo has come in on loan from Barcelona, offering cover both in the middle and on the right. The back four looks deeper. It doesn’t yet look settled.

Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong continue to battle persistent injury problems, and Araujo’s stay is only temporary. The position on the right remains a puzzle rather than a solved problem. That is where Hector Fort enters the conversation.

A La Masia full-back on the market

Fort is a right-back on the books at Barcelona, born in the city on August 2, 2006. Still only 20, he is at the very start of his professional career but has already taken some significant steps.

He began locally with Anguera before Barcelona moved to bring him into La Masia at just seven years old. From that point, he has been a Barcelona player in every sense — educated in the club’s style, developed through its age groups, and pushed steadily toward the first team.

By 2023, that pathway opened up. Fort earned a breakthrough chance with Barcelona’s B team, and later that year he made his senior debut in the Champions League against Royal Antwerp. For any academy graduate, that is a statement stage.

He has since gone on to make 30 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions, a solid early body of work for a young defender still learning the demands of top-level football.

Loan learning and injury setbacks

To accelerate his development, Barcelona sent Fort on loan to Elche for the 2025/26 campaign. It was meant to be a season of regular minutes and responsibility. He did manage 17 appearances, but his rhythm was disrupted by a series of injury issues that cut into his time on the pitch.

The loan still gave him exposure to a different environment and the grind of a full season away from the comfort of La Masia. Once that spell ended, he returned to the Nou Camp, back in the hands of the club that had shaped his entire career.

A window of opportunity

Now comes the turning point. Despite his clear potential, Barcelona is understood to be open to a departure for Fort this summer. With three years left on his contract, he represents both a developmental asset and a possible source of funds.

Clubs are circling, and Liverpool is among those taking a close look. For a side wrestling with injuries and short-term fixes on the right, a 20-year-old full-back schooled at La Masia and already blooded in European competition is an attractive proposition.

The question is no longer who Hector Fort is. It’s whether Liverpool decide he is the one to lock down their right flank for the next decade.