Barcelona looking for a ‘target man’ in the ongoing summer transfer window

Barcelona looking for a ‘target man’ in the ongoing summer transfer window Barcelona’s pursuit of Julian Alvarez took a massive blow when Atletico Madrid’s president came out earlier this week to publicly deny any chance of a transfer. There is still hope in Catalonia, especially with the player’s relationship with his club said to be broken, but Barcelona have made it clear that they will not wait forever. The Catalans are desperate to sign a quality centre-forward this summer, and while Alvarez remains their priority target, they realise that playing the waiting game is not in their favour, especially in a market where quality strikers are hard to come by. No target man Atletico have no desire to sell Alvarez. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) Now, Mundo Deportivo bring to light the driving force behind Barcelona’s urgency to sign a ‘target-man’, and it unsurprisingly has to do with Robert Lewandowski’s departure. The Polish striker bid the club adieu at the end of last season and will play in the MLS in the upcoming campaign. Barcelona know that his departure now leaves them without a single target man in the squad. For all of the veteran’s deficiencies towards the end of his career, he was one of the best poachers in the sport until his final match at Barcelona.  His prowess in the air and ability to find the back of the net were second to none in the team, and the battle was not even close. Whether Alvarez arrives or not, Barcelona are thus hellbent on recruiting a new poacher in the transfer market and that will be the theme of their search for a new forward. After all, they now realise the importance of a target man. Deadline set All eyes on Alvarez’s future. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images) As reported earlier this week, Barcelona have set a clear deadline to take a decision on their pursuit of Julian Alvarez, and it is the 31st of July. Making the move go through will not be easy given the club’s stance, and will likely require the player to go public with his desire to leave and join Barcelona. They are thus handing the player and his entourage over ten days after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup to settle his future and make Atletico Madrid open to negotiating with the Catalans. Alvarez, however, is not a typical target man but a more dynamic number nine. The club will thus pursue an independent path to sign a target man and it will be a separate operation from that of signing Alvarez.