No senior No.9 for Elche trip

Barcelona begin their title defence of La Liga on Sunday with a trip to Elche. They travel with no senior striker in their squad.

After the end of last season, it was decided that Robert Lewandowski’s contract would not be renewed, and he eventually joined MLS side Chicago Fire. Last week, Ferran Torres moved to Paris Saint-Germain for €50million.

It leaves the 18-year-old Egyptian Hamza Abdelkarim, who spent the second half of last term with the under-19s, as Hansi Flick’s sole recognised ‘No 9’. Barca have been saying all summer that Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez is their only transfer target for the position, but the chances of that coming off are not rated favourably around the club.

How the Alvarez plan unravelled

As last season came to an end, manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco decided to let Lewandowski leave on the expiry of his contract. The Poland international, who turned 38 on Friday, had fulfilled a cycle at Barca and the club wanted a younger player to replace him.

Barca identified Alvarez as their top target. The 26-year-old is seen as Flick’s dream striker. Club sources say they made an informal approach to Chelsea about Joao Pedro early in the transfer window, but were notified he was not for sale on any terms.

Barca said they submitted an offer to Atletico of €100million for Alvarez by the end of May. Atletico denied this and publicly replied with social media posts linking them to absurd bids for Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha.

Alvarez himself added pressure at the World Cup, telling ESPN: “I can’t hide it. I try to be an honest person. I spoke with Atletico Madrid, and a transfer is the best option. I want to fulfill my dream.” Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin later said: “We won’t sell him. Not for €100million, not for €150m, not for €200m”.

Atletico also filed a complaint with the Spanish Football Federation and FIFA against Barcelona. The striker returned to training with Atletico last week and there has been no change to his situation. Arsenal are long-term admirers of Alvarez.

Torres exit leaves gap

Parallel to the Alvarez saga, Torres’ future emerged. Torres’ contract was due to expire in June 2027. After scoring the winning goal for Spain against Argentina in July’s World Cup final, his profile skyrocketed. PSG showed interest and Barca sanctioned a departure in the region of €50million.

Possible makeshift solutions

Barcelona will go into their first league match without a senior No 9, meaning Flick has to come up with something new. The most sensible option could be to use Raphinha or summer signing Anthony Gordon as a ‘false nine’. Barca played a friendly against Basel with the Brazil forward as a central striker, and he responded well.

Gordon featured as a central attacker for a short spell in their final pre-season match against Egyptian side Al Ahly on Wednesday. Another summer arrival, Karim Adeyemi, could feature too, but the Germany international has not been used in central positions yet.

Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo have both been used in the ‘No 10’ role in pre-season rather than up front. The other option would be to trust the youth. Abdelkarim has been one of the club’s summer sensations, with four goals as their top goalscorer in pre-season.

Alternatives being monitored

Deco said Barcelona expect to sign a No 9 before the end of the transfer window on September 1. “We have solutions in the team for the central striker role, but we will probably make a move before the end of the transfer window,” he told TV3.

Local reports suggested Inter’s Lautaro Martinez was Barca’s top target after accepting Alvarez would not join. Senior Camp Nou sources told The Athletic that Martinez is a player they have monitored and who has admirers within the club, but Inter view him as unsellable.

Club voices admit there are hardly any top-level options available beyond Alvarez. Deco had previously monitored names such as Victor Osimhen and Omar Marmoush. Club Brugge’s Nicolo Tresoldi has been suggested in Barcelona media, but there is no indication of a move. Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres is another name linked, but he is not the most admired name within the hierarchy.

With Lewandowski and Torres scoring a combined 40 goals last season, the question is whether Gordon and Adeyemi are enough to cover that, and whether the talented Abdelkarim is enough for a Champions League push.