According to The Athletic, Barcelona will begin their La Liga title defense campaign on Sunday with an away game against Elche, but the team currently lacks a senior center forward.
After last season ended, Barcelona decided not to renew Robert Lewandowski's contract, and he eventually joined MLS team Chicago Fire.
Last week, Ferran Torres transferred to Paris Saint-Germain for €50 million (£42.8 million, $58.3 million).
This makes 18-year-old Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim the only true number 9 player currently available for Flick, who played for the U19 team in the second half of last season.
Throughout the summer, Barcelona maintained that Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez was their sole transfer target for that position, but the club itself was not optimistic about the deal going through. Atletico Madrid's stance was that the Argentine international would not be sold.
What will Barcelona's attack look like this season? Have they given up on signing Alvarez? What other options do they have?
How did we get to this point?
With the season drawing to a close, Barcelona's two key decision-makers, head coach Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco, decided to make a major overhaul of the attacking line.
They have decided to let Lewandowski leave when his contract expires. The Polish international will turn 38 on Friday, marking the end of his time at Barcelona, and the club hopes to replace him with a younger player.
Barcelona have identified Alvarez as their top target. The 26-year-old striker is seen as Flick's ideal center-forward, and Deco also supports the signing. Both believe Alvarez is a top player, and the club acknowledges that high-quality options are scarce on the market.
Club sources also stated that, like all those interviewed in this article, they requested anonymity due to a lack of authorization to speak publicly. The sources said that early in the transfer window, Barcelona made an informal inquiry to Chelsea regarding João Pedro, but received the response that the player would not be sold under any circumstances.
Barcelona have stated that they submitted a €100 million (US$116 million, £87 million) offer to Atletico Madrid for Alvarez before the end of May. Atletico Madrid have denied this claim and, in their public response to Barcelona's interest, have repeatedly linked Yamal, Pedri, and Rafinha to the absurd offer in their social media posts.
"Don't believe everything you see, especially when it's related to Barcelona," one message read.
Despite this, Barcelona's interest in Alvarez has not waned, and his statements during the World Cup have further fueled the transfer saga. While Argentina advanced through the group stage, Alvarez told ESPN that he wanted to transfer.
“I can’t hide this,” he said. “I want to be an honest person. I’ve spoken with Atlético Madrid, and a transfer is the best option. I want to achieve my dream.”
These remarks boosted optimism within Barcelona, as Alvarez remains their sole target in attack, but Atletico Madrid has not backed down. Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marin reiterated this stance on the club's social media in July.
“We will not sell him,” Hill-Marin said. “Not for 100 million euros, not for 150 million euros, not for 200 million euros.”
Atletico Madrid also filed complaints against Barcelona with the Spanish Football Federation and FIFA. The Catalan club stated that they received notification of the report by the end of July. The Spanish Football Federation subsequently launched an internal investigation.
It was from that point on that Barcelona became noticeably more pessimistic about signing Alvarez. The striker returned to Atletico Madrid training last week, and the situation remains unchanged.
Arsenal have long admired Alvarez and have made it clear they would be interested if Atletico Madrid were willing to sell him to a club outside of Spain. It remains unclear whether Alvarez would be willing to return to England, thus abandoning what Barcelona sources have described as his dream of playing for the club.
While the transfer of Alvarez is being pursued in parallel, Barcelona is also facing another emerging problem: Torres' future.
Torres' contract was originally set to expire in June 2027. Barcelona believes the 26-year-old's current salary is already quite good, and therefore has reservations about giving him a significant pay rise. Torres' situation is further complicated by the fact that if he renews his contract, Barcelona will need to pay Manchester City €8 million.
Barcelona did not see Torres as the leading striker in their plans for the next few years, which affected Torres's feelings towards the club. Subsequently, Torres scored the winning goal in Spain's World Cup final against Argentina in July, causing his market value and public attention to rise rapidly.
Paris Saint-Germain subsequently expressed interest in signing him, but Barcelona stated they had no intention of selling him unless the player himself informed the club that he wanted to leave.
Two weeks ago, Barcelona learned that Torres preferred to join Paris Saint-Germain. The two clubs then began negotiations on the transfer fee, and Barcelona ultimately agreed to let the player, whose contract had only one year remaining, go for approximately €50 million.
This move isn't bad for Barcelona, but it leaves them with a major problem in attack. Both of Flick's strikers from last season have left, and their top target for a new striker hasn't materialized. Club sources insist their transfer strategy was coordinated and unified.
Even so, many questions remain surrounding Alvarez, especially since Barcelona only recently began to acknowledge that signing him might not be realistic. However, this was a risk that Deco and Flick were willing to take, and now they must address the situation.
What are Barcelona's current plans?
Barcelona will be without a veteran number 9 in their squad for their first league match of the new season on Sunday, meaning Flick will have to come up with new solutions.
The most reasonable option would probably be to have Rafinha or this summer's new addition, Jadon Anthony, play as a "false 9," that is, a drop-back center.
Last weekend, Barcelona used the Brazilian striker in the center of the pitch in a friendly against Basel, and he performed well. Antony also briefly played as a central attacker in Wednesday's final preseason match against Egyptian side Al Ahli.
Another summer signing, Demane Karim, may also play, but the German international is not currently positioned in the center; he is seen more as a threat on the flanks. Fermín Lopez and Olmo were both used as "number 10s" (attacking midfielders) in the preseason, rather than up front.
Another option is to trust young players. Abdulkarim was one of the club's most surprising players this summer. He scored four goals in preseason, making him the team's top scorer, and demonstrated excellent goal-scoring instincts. Barcelona officially signed the Egyptian international this summer, after he joined the team on loan in January.
Abdulkarim, a traditional number 9, has impressed Flick and is expected to remain in the first team this season. His four appearances at the World Cup reflect the high hopes his country has for him, but it may be too early to expect him to become a regular starter at Barcelona.
Even so, Abdulkarim is still expected to get some playing time if he doesn't start on Sunday.
Are there any alternatives for Alvarez?
Yes, because Deco stated that Barcelona is expected to sign a number 9 player before the transfer window closes on September 1st.
In an interview with Catalan television channel TV3 ahead of the match against Nacional in Cairo, he said: "We have a solution (for the center forward position) in our team, but we may take action before the transfer window closes."
"Ferran Torres' original role has been supplemented by signings (Anthony Gordon and Adyemi), but it will be difficult to replace Lewandowski."
Deco is looking for other suitable candidates for the number 9 position. Local media reports that Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez has become Barcelona's top target after it was confirmed that Alvarez will not be joining the club.
Sources within the Camp Nou management told The Athletic that Martinez had been a player they had been monitoring, and that some within the club admired him. However, Inter Milan considered him unsellable because he was both a key figure in the club and the captain in the dressing room.
So who else might they sign? Barcelona admits that, apart from Alvarez, there are almost no other top options on the market. Deco had previously scouted players like Victor Osimhen and Malmush, but neither of them could fully convince all the club's decision-makers.
Club Brugge's Nicolo Tresordi was once considered an option by Barcelona media, but there are currently no signs of any substantial progress in this regard. Arsenal's Víctor Dzekereš is also among the names linked with Barcelona, but he is not the Catalan club's top choice.
Flick certainly wants to wait for Alvarez as long as possible, especially given the increasingly tense situation at Atletico Madrid.
During Atletico Madrid's opening La Liga match against Malaga on Wednesday, a small group of home fans at the Metropolitan Stadium chanted slogans against Álvarez and hurled insults at him. Álvarez was not playing at the time as he was undergoing a phased recovery following the World Cup. When asked about the incident at the post-match press conference, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone said, "I have the utmost respect for my people."
Then on Friday morning, a sign appeared outside Atlético Madrid's training ground that read "Julian, get out," along with a number 19 crossed out like a traffic prohibition sign—the number Alvarez wore.
🚨 #Latest| 👀 Atletico Madrid displays banners against Julian Alvarez
📌 Banners targeting the former Argentine striker have been posted around the sports complex.
📌 The sign read "Julian, get out," along with a prohibition sign bearing the number 19, which is the number he used.
📸… pic.twitter.com/EuG4cdnQcZ
— Double Yellow Card ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ( @okdobleamarilla ) August 21, 2026
Regardless of the Argentine's final situation, the reality is that Barcelona needs a new center forward.
Lewandowski and Ferran Torres scored a combined 40 goals last season. Can Anthony Gordon and Adyemi fill that gap?
In some matches, they need a focal point up front, and the exceptionally talented Abdulkarim is clearly not enough. The same applies if Barcelona wants to contend for the Champions League title this season.
This is why we can expect Deco to continue actively pushing for new signings, even if it means that Alvarez's dream will be dashed at least for now and for the foreseeable future.
As always, Barcelona's moves in the final weeks of the transfer window will be closely watched.
