Liverpool Linked with Barcelona's Héctor Fort as Right Back Option

Liverpool’s defensive business looked done. Ronald Araújo arrived as the experienced, multi-purpose signing: a centre-half by trade, comfortable enough at right back to plug gaps and calm nerves. The message seemed clear. Back line sorted. Move on.

Spain is not quite buying that story.

Sport report that Barcelona right back Héctor Fort has appeared on Liverpool’s radar, the 20-year-old suddenly popping up on a long list of admirers that also includes Inter Milan, Fulham, and Tottenham. When that many names get thrown around, the noise can blur. Not every link carries the same weight.

Right now, the heaviest interest is being pinned on Everton.

Across Stanley Park, Everton are being cast as the most likely Premier League destination for Fort. The defender has spent the last decade climbing through Barcelona’s academy system, ticking every box on the way up. He already has 24 senior appearances for the first team, 20 of them coming in the 2024-25 season, and he spent the previous campaign on loan at Elche to harden his game.

Two years ago, Fort looked like the next long-term answer at right back for Barcelona, a natural heir apparent in a position the club has struggled to lock down. That belief has cooled. Inside the club, the conversation has shifted toward fellow prospect Xavi Espart as the preferred option for the future.

That change of internal hierarchy has opened a door. Fort, once seen as untouchable, is now reportedly available on the market.

Whether Liverpool walk through it, or watch Everton do so instead, will say plenty about how settled they really feel at right back after Araújo’s arrival.