Liverpool are rivalling Manchester United in a race to sign one of Hansi Flick's key Barcelona players ahead of the January transfer window.

Andoni Iraola invested heavily in the summer, notably landing Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola for £123million, but several positions were still neglected.

The last time the Reds signed a central midfielder, for instance, was in the summer of 2023 when Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo all arrived through the doors at Anfield. Liverpool are looking to end that barren spell in January by landing a new midfielder and are in the driving seat to sign Bournemouth superstar Alex Scott.

Liverpool and Man United want Barcelona defender Jules Kounde

Scott, who is valued at a whopping £100million, would be a significant investment in Iraola's engine room, but the Englishman isn't the only player and position they're targeting.

The club have been plagued by issues at right back since Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid in 2025. Currently, Iraola would rather deploy Ronald Araujo as a conventional right-back instead of using Jeremie Frimpong, who has struggled since moving to the Premier League from Bayer Leverkusen.

Araujo is filling in on the right side of defence until Conor Bradley returns from his long-term injury, but it appears they're also looking to make an ambitious move in January for Barcelona's Jules Kounde.

According to exclusive information from 4-4-2, Liverpool made 'contact' with the defender through intermediaries after hearing that he's no longer a guaranteed starter at Barca this season.

The Frenchman has averaged just 52 minutes per game in La Liga this term and shared minutes at right-back with former Manchester City defender Eric Garcia.

Unsurprisingly, given his status as one of the finest defenders in European football, Liverpool aren't the only team tracking his situation. Bayern Munich have shown a 'strong interest' in the 27-year-old, while Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal have been informed that Kounde is 'not ruling out' a winter transfer.

Capable of playing in central defence as well as right-back, the 58-cap France international has four years left to run on his contract at the Camp Nou, and the report claims that Barca would want at least €60million (£50million) for him.

Hansi Flick admires Jules Kounde

Kounde is currently giving a lot of thought to his future and could prefer guaranteed starts at another top European club instead of being rotated heavily by Flick.

Garcia is the German's preferred starter at right back, but that doesn't mean the former Sevilla man isn't rated highly, recently praising him for his professionalism.

"Jules Kounde is a 100% professional player. A 100% professional person," Flick said. "I see it everyday. He always wants to compete better and better."

"We're always thinking about who's the best in this moment, in this game... but sometimes he has to accept that he can start from the bench."

"This is the quality of this team. We have many players in a really good level and with good quality."

Clearly, the Barcelona manager sees Kounde as an invaluable member of the squad, but with the lure of moving to the Premier League in January potentially on the cards, perhaps he will be swayed towards a new challenge.