Liverpool can raid Euro giants and sign £41m star now

Liverpool can raid Euro giants and sign £41m star now Nobody knows how things are going to pan out for Liverpool at the moment. However, from an outsiders perspective, it feels like things couldn't have gone much worse for the Anfield outfit. Yan Diomande was their main target and, despite making that more than clear before the 2025-26 season even ended, the Ivorian chose against joining Liverpool and now looks like he's heading towards Real Madrid instead. , and, while talks for the Frenchman are still underway, it's unclear whether that move will even get pulled off. So if it doesn't, the Reds need to have some other options for players that they can add to their ranks. And now, it feels like they have just been handed the perfect opportunity to do exactly that. Barcelona are trying to sign a new centre-back which could open the doors for Jules Kounde's exit One of Liverpool's main problem areas at the moment is their defence. Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson have both exited and, since Jeremie Frimpong is likely to be used as a right-winger this term, Andoni Iraola's defensive options are fairly thin. Indeed, once they have all returned from injury, things will be a lot better in L4 but, since Joe Gomez is fairly injury prone and neither Giovanni Leoni or Jeremy Jacquet have ever played a minute of Premier League football, it's unclear whether they'll have what it takes to fill the void left by Ibrahima Konate. That is, especially since Liverpool are wanting to start competing for silverware again. So, with all of this in mind, Liverpool looking to sign a new defender makes complete sense. And now, thanks to an update from Mundo Deportivo, Jules Kounde could be up for grabs if Barcelona manage to sign Jorge Salinas this summer. "FC Barcelona continues to monitor the future of Jorge Salinas (19 years old)," they wrote . "Mundo Deportivo previously reported that the Catalan club still has the Racing Santander left-back on its list of targets, although they are unwilling to pay the €16 million release clause for the promising player. "Barça has set a price of between €4 and €6 million for Salinas' transfer." Jorge Salinas could save Liverpool's season The fact that Liverpool are even being linked with a move for Kounde is good news. One of the main positions that the Reds need to strengthen this summer is their right-back, especially with how injury prone the Reds' defence is. As well as being a full-back, Kounde can play in the centre of defence as well which, at the moment, is another major problem area for the Reds. Although Barcelona and Racing Santander are miles apart in their valuations at the moment, it does feel like a deal could be struck and, since the La Liga Champions want to get rid of Kounde, it feels like all three clubs could end up helping each other out. Barca bought Kounde for £41 million back in 2022 and, even though he's become an even better player since then, the Spanish giants only want a little more than that to allow him to leave. Indeed, their dodgy financial state probably helps with this but, if Barcelona do end up signing Salinas, he could easily be their replacement for Kounde which could make negotiations even easier. Here's hoping that the Reds get into gear and start finally adding some players to their first-team squad.