Barcelona are facing a major attacking dilemma as the summer transfer deadline approaches, with the club searching for far more than a conventional goalscorer. Hans Flick wants a forward who can score, create chances, press aggressively and move intelligently both inside and outside the penalty area a combination that has made finding a suitable alternative to Julian Alvarez particularly difficult.
Barcelona’s hopes of signing the Atletico Madrid striker appear remote. Atletico are determined to keep Alvarez and value him at as much as 200m euros.
The Catalan club have also lost Robert Lewandowski, who joined Chicago Fire after his contract expired, while Ferran Torres has moved to Paris St-Germain for 50m euros.
Barcelona have signed Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for 70m euros and Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund for 22m euros, but they still need an out-and-out striker and potentially another attacking player before the window closes.
Failing to act quickly could leave the club relying on an academy player, an emerging teenager or a winger used temporarily in the central role until January. That would be far from ideal for a side aiming to retain the La Liga title for a third consecutive season.
What Flick needs
Before considering names, Barcelona must establish exactly what kind of forward Flick requires.
The first priority is regular goals. Lewandowski and Torres shared the central striker position last season and scored 30 La Liga goals between them.
With Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo and Raphinha providing additional sources of goals, Barcelona do not necessarily need one player capable of scoring 30 times alone. However, their new forward must be influential enough to score and create at least 15 goals during the campaign.
The role also demands more than finishing. Flick’s ideal striker must be able to create opportunities, combine with midfielders, open spaces for team-mates, beat defenders and operate between the lines.
Pressing and speed may be even more important. Flick expects his players to counter-press immediately after losing possession and uses a high defensive line, meaning the striker must lead the pressure from the front.
Lewandowski’s departure at the age of 37 gives Flick a chance to develop that aspect of Barcelona’s game further. The arrivals of Gordon and Adeyemi underline the club’s priorities: pace, movement and pressing are central elements of the new project rather than optional qualities.
That is why Alvarez would be such a strong fit. He possesses almost all of those attributes and is also an excellent set-piece taker. The problem is that securing his signature currently appears close to impossible.
Established alternatives
If Alvarez is ruled out, Mikel Oyarzabal may be the most logical option. The Real Sociedad forward has been a key figure for Spain during their recent golden period and already knows several Barcelona players, including Yamal, Pedri and Olmo, from their time together with the national team.
Oyarzabal offers goals, creativity and intelligent pressing. Last season he scored 15 goals in 30 La Liga starts, a return that suggests he could provide the required attacking contribution.
There are, however, significant doubts. Oyarzabal is 29 and Real Sociedad would be unlikely to sanction his departure for considerably less than the 75m-euro release clause in his contract. He has also spent his entire career with the Basque club, raising questions about whether he would want to take on such a major new challenge at this stage of his career.
Lautaro Martinez is another player with many of the qualities Barcelona are seeking. The Inter Milan forward has been regarded as one of Europe’s best supporting strikers for several years and regularly scores more than 20 goals across all competitions. He is a constant threat both inside and outside the penalty area.
His usual role, though, could create a tactical question. Martinez has rarely operated as Inter’s lone striker, with the Italian club often pairing him with a forward such as Marcus Thuram or Edin Dzeko. That player would occupy defenders and provide a reference point, allowing Martinez greater freedom to move.
In possession, Martinez can offer an appealing blend of striker and attacking midfielder. His suitability for sustained off-the-ball running and pressing is less certain. Moving into Flick’s system could therefore represent a different challenge for the 28-year-old, whose style has become established over a number of seasons.
Omar Marmoush would also have been an attractive possibility. He can play as a central striker, has considerable technical ability and combines pace, pressing and goalscoring, according to ESPN.
The Egypt international appears to match many of Flick’s requirements, but reports suggest he is in advanced negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur, making a move to Barcelona difficult at present.
Less obvious options
Barcelona may therefore need to widen their search beyond the most recognisable names.
Most established forwards at major European clubs would cost huge sums, so the solution could involve identifying a less celebrated player with characteristics similar to Alvarez.
Using data from Gradient Sports, a number of indicators linked to Alvarez’s playing style can be compared to find possible alternatives. Georges Mikautadze stands out as one of the more intriguing candidates.
The Georgia striker moved between Metz, Lyon and Villarreal over a two-year period, while his impressive performances for his country at Euro 2024 significantly increased his reputation. In his first La Liga season, Mikautadze scored 13 goals and supplied six assists in just over 2,000 minutes.
His strengths extend beyond finishing. He has shown a sharp touch in the penalty area, can create chances and consistently finds useful spaces. His value has risen considerably, however, with his release clause increasing from 60m euros to 76m euros in mid-August.
That figure puts him close to Oyarzabal’s cost, but Mikautadze has one important advantage: he is 25 and still has room to develop, giving the potential deal greater long-term value.
Sebastiano Esposito would represent a different type of gamble. The former Inter Milan player was viewed for years as a promising talent, but eight loan spells affected his stability and development. His permanent move to Cagliari could now offer him a fresh start.
Last season Esposito developed into a forward more inclined to create play within a front two. He scored seven goals and assisted five in Serie A, while showing an ability to drop deep, receive possession, turn and run at opponents or release team-mates into space.
Those qualities resemble some aspects of Alvarez’s game. But Barcelona would also have to consider an off-field issue: Cagliari handed Esposito a disciplinary punishment this summer after he missed pre-season without permission during a contractual dispute.
That underlines an important part of the recruitment process. Technical similarity alone is not enough to justify a decision of this scale.
Long-term investments
If Barcelona are prepared to take a greater risk, younger players could offer an investment for the future.
Nicolo Tresoldi, 22, has attracted scouts’ attention for some time because of his performances with Belgian club Club Brugge. Although the team lost winger Christos Tzolis to Arsenal for 40m euros, Tresoldi remains highly regarded for his goalscoring instinct, ability to protect the ball under pressure and willingness to involve his team-mates.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo, 21, made a greater impact during 2026. He played an important role for Lille and was subsequently included in Belgium’s World Cup squad.
Fernandez-Pardo began his career as a winger but moved into the striker position after an injury crisis affected his team. The experiment highlighted his outstanding pace and ability to exploit space on counter-attacks, particularly away from home.
He still needs to improve against deep defensive blocks and in congested areas, but his physical qualities, speed and movement without the ball appear well suited to Flick’s approach. Atletico Madrid’s interest in him may not have been accidental; the club could view him as a future version of Alvarez.
The boldest option would be Hamza Abdelkarim. The 18-year-old striker joined Barcelona’s youth team on loan from Egyptian club Al Ahly in February before completing a permanent move this summer for 1.5m euros.
He was given an extended opportunity with the first team during pre-season. That was partly because of Barcelona’s shortage of attacking options and partly because his performances persuaded the coaching staff to continue using him.
Abdelkarim scored four goals during the preparations and received praise from within the club and Spanish media, making him a candidate for inclusion in the first-team squad next season.
Making him the main solution to Barcelona’s attacking problem would nevertheless be an enormous risk. The talent is clear and his potential is promising, but asking a player of his age to lead Barcelona’s attack across an entire season would be a hugely demanding decision.
Barcelona’s problem is that the ideal profile is exceptionally rare. Oyarzabal may be the safest established choice, while Martinez offers outstanding quality alongside tactical questions. Marmoush appears to fit the requirements but is moving closer to Tottenham.
Mikautadze and Esposito would involve greater uncertainty. Tresoldi and Fernandez-Pardo represent longer-term investments, while Abdelkarim could become the unexpected young player of the season.
With the transfer deadline approaching, Barcelona face a choice between paying a substantial fee for a ready-made forward or gambling on a less familiar player who can come close to Alvarez’s qualities.
Leaving the striker position without meaningful reinforcement until January, however, could be the most dangerous gamble of all for a club seeking to compete for every major trophy.
