Liverpool Transfer Rumours: Martin Montoya a Gamble for Brendan Rodgers

Sources suggest that Brendan Rodgers could be closing in on a deal for Barcelona youngster Martin Montoya, the man whom Liverpool presumably see as a solution to their troubles at left-back.

As Sky Sports have confirmed, first-choice Jose Enrique is undergoing surgery on a knee issue and should be out of action for a few months:

This has led to the news that Liverpool's managing director Ian Ayre has travelled to Catalan country this week with the view to organising a deal to sign Montoya, per ESPN.

Due to the vast quantity of players that La Masia, Barcelona's famous academy, has churned out down the years, the club have earned a prestigious reputation for developing young talent.

However, not every player to come from their youth ranks is a gem to behold and Montoya's ranking as Gerardo Martino's current fourth-choice left-back isn't something that speaks too highly of a player now 22 years of age.

One must say that the players ahead of him in the pecking order when fit—Jordi Alba, Adriano Correia and Dani Alves—are all superb talents in their own rights, but Montoya is yet to undergo the rigours of consistent first-team football at the highest level.

The Reds have options of their own at left-back, with John Flanagan and Aly Cissokho among the players Rodgers may look to use for now, so one must question whether the club are capable of riding out Enrique's time on the sidelines without spending money on a replacement in the new year.

Montoya is getting games now, of course, having started Barca's last four games in a row as a result of his teammates' injury issues, but another factor is just how much the former Spanish Under-21 international has been tested with such a thriving mass of talents around him.

Were Rodgers to bring the defender in, it would be up to him to ensure that the transfer was a fruitful expense, even if at a cut-price cost given that the player's current deal runs out in the summer.

An extra wage packet may not be a chief concern in the grand scheme of things, but it's a careful decision one must make when there are other avenues to take.

Regardless, it's a route that the club may end up going down this winter if an agreement can be reached between both club and player.

Liverpool are under pressure to capitalise upon their fine start to the 2013/14 Premier League season and so the complex matter of consistency becomes even more key, but it's at these crossroads that risks can often be at their most dangerous.