Is Barcelona defender Martin Montoya heading towards England?

Martin Montoya in action for Barcelona

La Masia Academy product and Barcelona player Martin Montoya will soon be on his way out of Camp Nou if his agent, Juan de DiosCarrasco, gets his way. He's pushing for Montoya, who remains merely a fringe player at the Camp Nou, to leave in the January transfer window.

"From now on, clubs interested have the possibility to make contact with Barcelona and negotiate his transfer," he said after a meeting with Barca's sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta a few days back.

He stated a day after, “He will leave the club in January. There are clubs interested from England, Italy and Germany. The decision that has been made is because we are seeing the situation and the decisions of Luis Enrique. When a player wants to leave Barca, as Montoya does, I do not think the club will oppose his departure.Montoya wants to leave Barcelona and thinks the club is a gentleman and will respect the agreement that he can leave.”

Montoya did get a start in Barca's comprehensive 5-0 mauling of Cordoba, but that was only his second league start of the season and fourth overall in all competitions.

And, with Dani Alves, Adriano and Douglas ahead of him in the pecking order at the Nou Camp, it won't be easy for him to claim his place in the side in the near future. Last term, the right-back turned out 13 times in La Liga, four in the Copa del Rey and twice in the Champions League.

At 1.74 metres tall, Montoya is a very fast player, full of stamina and skilled at getting forward down the wing. He is also a strong and tireless defender and after more than a decade learning at the La Masia he passes the ball really well. Like most of his Barcelona teammates, Montoya loves to play short passes. His crossing technique is not very good though. He looks very comfortable when on the ball and is strong in the air due to his height.

A look at his skills

As a player who is able to operate at both right-back and in central defence, the 23-year-old Montoya is reportedly drawing plenty of interest from outside Barcelona. Of the many suitors for him, reportedly leading the chase are Premier League teams Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.

But, Barcelona are demanding a hefty fee for him, and are unwilling to sell him unless his €20 million release clause is activated. Juventus and Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton are also rumoured to be interested in him. Also, Barça’s willingness to allow Montoya to leave could depend on their appeal against the FIFA ban over making transfers during two windows. Douglas is the only other right back available besides an ageing Dani Alves. They would be reluctant to let Montoya leave if their appeal is defeated.

Martin Montoya is just 23 and still hasn’t reached the peak of his playing form and can improve further as a player as he does show potential to do so. He would be a great signing for any club.

Where would he move now that January is coming close? We'll all know soon.