Why Liverpool must pull out all the stops to sign Barcelona ace

Liverpool are being linked with a move for 22-year old Barcelona right back Martin Montoya. The Spanish defender is out of contract in June and can start talking to clubs in January. According to German newspaper Bild via the Daily Star, it is being reported that Liverpool are hoping to beat Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen to Montoya by lining up a pre-contract offer.

Montoya is struggling to get game time at Barcelona as Dani Alves is being picked ahead of him. One can understand why Montoya would not want to sign a new contract at Barcelona and seek to join a club which will give him more football; he is too good a player not be playing regularly.

Now many Liverpool fans who have heard this transfer speculation involving Montoya feel that Liverpool do not need to sign him as we have a wealth of defenders already at the club and focus should rather be on buying new midfielders.

But let us take a minute to think about the current right back situation at Liverpool: Glen Johnson is the first choice right back and he is very good at what he does. But when Johnson is injured, as we have seen in the last couple of weeks, we struggle at right back and have to play Jordan Henderson or Raheem Sterling there, both who are not natural right backs. The debate continues that Liverpool have Martin Kelly and Andre Wisdom who can also play at right back, but right back is not the position they are meant to be in. They are both young central defenders who are learning their trade at right back and ultimately will be slotting in at centre back when they have matured. Meaning that Glen Johnson and young Jon Flanagan are the two specialist right backs at the club. In all fairness to Flanagan, he is not quite ready to be a first choice right back.

Now Glen Johnson is 29-years old so he is getting on in age and he may not have many top flight seasons left in him. This would be the perfect time to bring in a young long term quality replacement for Johnson and Montoya fits the bill perfectly. Coupled with the fact that we would be getting Montoya for free, this is a no brainer situation in my opinion and Liverpool should do all they can to sign him.