Barcelona’s number nine dilemma deepens as Alvarez remains Atletico’s priority

Barcelona are facing a major shortage of proven goalscorers with only 10 days until the La Liga season begins and three weeks remaining before the summer transfer window closes.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, the Catalan club have based their transfer strategy since January around signing Argentina forward Julian Alvarez. However, Atletico Madrid remain determined to keep the 25-year-old, leaving Barcelona with a serious problem if they cannot complete the deal.

The situation is understood to be particularly difficult because Ferran Torres is on the verge of joining Paris Saint-Germain, while Robert Lewandowski is set to move to Chicago Fire. Those departures would leave manager Hansi Flick without two of the forwards who provided much of Barcelona’s attacking output last season.

Flick had asked the club to recruit two attacking players before the summer transfer window. Sporting director Deco has moved quickly to secure deals for Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, but the pair scored fewer than 30 goals between them last season.

That figure compares poorly with the 40 goals scored by Torres and Lewandowski, as well as the 14 goals contributed by Marcus Rashford during his loan spell. Rashford has since returned to his parent club, with Barcelona choosing not to extend the agreement.

Flick’s most pressing requirement is a striker capable of scoring more than 30 goals in a season. Of the alternative options being considered, Benfica forward Vangelis Pavlidis was the only player to reach that total last year, although the Portuguese league is regarded as being below Europe’s major domestic competitions.

Georgia international Georges Mikautadze is another name admired by Deco because of his movement and dynamic style. However, Mikautadze scored only 16 goals for Villarreal last season, leaving questions over whether he could immediately replace Barcelona’s departing forwards.

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez came closer to the required level, scoring 27 goals. But his reported market value of 85m euros, according to specialist website Transfermarkt, would make the move financially unworkable. Inter are also not expected to consider selling the Argentina international.

A deal for Mikel Oyarzabal appears similarly difficult, although for different reasons. The Real Sociedad forward scored 18 goals for his club and 14 for Spain last season, demonstrating that he can perform at the highest level, but emotional ties to his boyhood club make a transfer look almost impossible.

Deco retains considerable support within Barcelona after a series of strategic moves during his three seasons in charge of recruitment. His work has included signing Dani Olmo in the 2024-25 season and Joan Garcia in 2025-26, while a deal for Rodri would represent another major addition for 2026-27 if completed.

The sporting director has also overseen temporary solutions such as Rashford and Joao Cancelo, as well as emergency cover provided by Wojciech Szczesny.

Barcelona have not ruled out the possibility that Deco has been working privately on another unexpected solution for several months. Nevertheless, the club’s official indications have consistently identified Alvarez as their primary target.

If the Argentina forward – nicknamed “the Spider” – does not arrive, Barcelona will be forced into an urgent search while selling clubs are likely to raise their demands. Deco would then face one of the biggest challenges of his time in charge of the club.