Torres to Anfield? Why Liverpool’s Search for Forward Depth Could End at Barcelona

We’re a month out from a new Premier League season and the forward conversation at Anfield still centres on one uncomfortable fact. Hugo Ekitike’s Achilles rupture from March has left a genuine hole behind Alexander Isak, and nobody has been recruited to fill it. Pre-season friendlies have only made that absence more obvious.

That’s despite Liverpool moving relatively early elsewhere. Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz arrived without much fuss, but the marquee business, replacing the goals and the presence Mohamed Salah left behind when his contract ended a year ahead of schedule, still hasn’t been done. Bradley Barcola remains the name most often floated for that specific job, and PSG have shown no urgency to let him leave, so the wait continues.

A different name enters the picture

According to Ekrem Konur, Liverpool are preparing to challenge Paris Saint-Germain for Ferran Torres, with Barcelona reportedly open to selling the forward this summer to help fund a move for Julian Alvarez.

Liverpool are ready to challenge PSG’s bid for Ferran Torres, scorer of Spain’s winning goal in the World Cup final. Barcelona are willing to sell him to fund Julian Alvarez’s move. Torres has two years left on his Barca contract.

— Ekrem Konur (@Ekremkonur) July 21, 2026

Torres’ timing could not be better for his valuation. He scored Spain’s winning goal in Sunday’s World Cup final, the kind of moment that tends to move transfer fees rather than settle them, and with two years left on his Barcelona contract, the club is in a position to negotiate from strength rather than urgency.

Where he’d actually fit

The case for Torres at Liverpool isn’t really about replacing Ekitike directly, it’s about solving two problems with one signing. He can play across the front three, which gives Liverpool the kind of squad flexibility they’re currently missing, cover for Isak if his fitness wobbles again, and a stopgap in the Salah zone until Barcola or someone else is actually signed.

Transfermarkt currently puts his value around fifty million euros. After a season in which he scored 21 goals in all competitions, and with his World Cup final goal still fresh, that figure feels more like a starting point for Barcelona than a ceiling. Clubs chasing a proven, versatile forward rarely find one this available in late July.

The bigger picture

None of this changes the core issue. Liverpool are running out of pre-season to get business like this over the line, and a single arrival won’t paper over a squad still short of depth up front. A move for Torres would be smart business if the price stays sensible, but it would only be one piece of a forward line that still needs more than one addition before the season starts.