Julian Ward wants to sign Barcelona sensation for Liverpool soon

Julian Ward has a lot of work to do at Liverpool.

Even though Richard Hughes may have spent over £600 million during his time in charge of the Reds, there are still some areas of their squad that need strengthening.

At the moment, it feels like their midfield is their biggest problem area but, if a couple more injuries occur, that could change in an instant.

The fact that some members of Liverpool's first-team squad are still out injured isn't ideal as it means that Andoni Iraola hasn't had a chance to judge all of his players yet.

However, even when they return, there are still going to be some glaring issues which is why Ward may find himself rather busy in January.

In fact, even though there isn't a transfer window open at the moment, the rumour mill is already going into overdrive with yet another player now being linked with a Liverpool switch.

Liverpool want to try and sign Gerard Martin from Barcelona

Although the improvement of Liverpool's defence was heavily focused on in the summer, a couple of problems are still emerging.

Indeed, Ronald Araujo and Jeremy Jacquet have both been excellent additions and, Virgil van Dijk only seems to be getting better.

However, with Van Dijk's contract set to expire at the end of the current season, questions are being asked about whether the Reds are going to keep him around or not.

The same goes for Joe Gomez who's contract is also going to expire in June 2027.

The likelihood of both centre-backs leaving is slim but, it almost feels guaranteed that one will go which will leave a huge gap for Liverpool to plug.

That's where FC Barcelona's Gerard Martin comes in.

"FC Bayern Munich are reportedly looking to strengthen their defence and have set their sights on an interesting candidate at FC Barcelona," 442 wrote.

"According to information from fussball-news.de, the Munich club are closely monitoring the development of Gerard Martín. The 24-year-old Spaniard has established himself as a reliable option in defense under Hansi Flick and has attracted the interest of several top European clubs.

"Besides the German record champions, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in the versatile defender. Inter and Liverpool, in particular, are said to have already obtained initial information about the player's contractual situation.

"Martín can play both as a left-back and as a centre-back. His versatility and defensive qualities make him an attractive option for clubs looking to bolster their back line."

Gerard Martin would be a good transfer for Liverpool

Martin may be a player that Liverpool fans won't have heard of.

However, after being brought to the Camp Nou during the 2024-25 season, he's featured in 102 games across all competitions for Barca.

The fact that the Spaniard can be used as a left-back is also a massive bonus.

That is, especially since Kostas Tsimikas is also likely to leave upon the expiry of his contract in June 2027.

So, not only would martin help provide some extra stability in the middle of Liverpool's defence but, if they didn't end up signing a new left-back in the summer, Martin would easily be able to cover for Milos Kerkez.

There are so many positives about this deal but, with how many top European clubs want him, the move will certainly not be a simple one to pull off.