Liverpool's best summer signing will be £53m Barcelona wonderkid - according to bold prediction

Liverpool have had it far from all their own way this season as the Reds have endured one of the worst Premier League title defences in recent years.

The Reds rose back into the top five by a single point last weekend but have failed to win against relegation-battling Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur in recent league matches, missing out on a huge opportunity to displace faltering Aston Villa from their spot in the top four.

There will be calls for huge change over the summer and many Liverpool fans have already made their mind up that Arne Slot should be sacked at the end of the season. Regardless of who is in the dug-out, major signings will be called for – and we asked our old friend Football Manager 26 to predict who the Reds will sign ahead of next season, and how the campaign will pan out at Anfield.

Liverpool’s best signing of this summer window - according to Football Manager

Football Manager predicts that Liverpool will make a total of six signings in summer 2026, spending £116million – with one player standing out, in the shape of young Barcelona full-back Hector Fort.

The 19-year-old will sign for the Reds in a £53m deal this summer according to the prediction and make the problem right-back slot his own. Making 42 appearances across all competitions including 38 starts, Fort grabs three assists in the save and earns a respectable average rating of 6.92 across such a large data set.

The 2006-born gem is currently out on loan at Elche in La Liga but has been out since January with a shoulder injury. According to Football Manager’s prediction, however, Liverpool take a risk on him this summer and it pays off.

He is not the only player the Reds sign this summer in the save – Lee Kang-in arrives from PSG for £37.5m and makes just five starts in his 21 appearances but contributes with four goals and an assist despite his limited game-time, earning an average rating of 7.03.

Teenage wizard Alvaro Montoro is touted to sign from Botafogo for £9.25m and bags one goal and one assist in six appearances, while Quinten Timber signs on loan and makes 47 appearances, 20 of those starts, with five assists and an average rating of 6.82. Youngsters Gilberto Mora and Bruno Durdov also arrive on deals each worth just over £6m and make a handful of appearances off the bench.

Would Fort be a good signing - and how are Liverpool predicted to do next season?

Fort has made just 30 appearances for Barcelona’s first team and an additional 12 out on loan this season due to injury, so it is difficult to justify his credentials to become Liverpool’s starting right-back next season at present – but the position is certainly a problem one for the Reds.

With Conor Bradley out for the foreseeable future with a serious knee injury and Jeremie Frimpong enduring an injury-hit season of his own, Slot has continued to use Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back even when the latter has returned to fitness. The Hungarian has been found out at times and there is no denying that having another specialist in the position – particularly one taught at Barca’s famed La Masia academy – would be hugely beneficial.

If Football Manager is any indication of real events, it might be a successful season for Liverpool next term. They are predicted in the save to turn around their disappointing 2025/26 campaign and win the league title next campaign. With the likes of Fort, Kang-in and Timber inspiring the side to reach new heights, Liverpool oust current top two Arsenal and Manchester City to win a third league title of the Premier League era. Whether they compete for such honours next term with Slot in the dug-out or not remains to be seen, but the signs are encouraging if Football Manager is any metric to go by.