Barcelona already working on a striker signing for January – report

Barcelona already working on a striker signing for January – report The summer transfer window is entering its final stretch and closes next Tuesday, with FC Barcelona still having several incoming and outgoing operations to resolve. However, the club’s sporting executives are already looking ahead. Unless there are major departures or an unexpected breakthrough in the Julian Alvarez situation, Barça are not expected to make any major addition before the summer window closes. Instead, the La Liga champions want to preserve financial fair play capacity and money for the January transfer window, should an attractive opportunity arise to strengthen the attack and improve the team’s goalscoring options, reports MARCA . Change of plans Hansi Flick is delighted with his team’s start to La Liga. Barcelona have won their first two matches, against Elche and Athletic Club, scoring seven goals without conceding. The attacking numbers are particularly impressive given that the club has not replaced Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, despite the coaching staff and sporting department considering reinforcement up front a priority. Alvarez remains the topmost priority. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) The main, and effectively only, target has been Alvarez. Atletico Madrid’s refusal to negotiate has therefore blocked Barcelona’s plans. While Atletico maintain their position, Barça’s existing attackers performing so well. Raphinha has been operating as a false nine and has scored three goals, the same number as Fermin Lopez. As a result, Barça have decided not to pursue another striker this summer: either Alvarez arrives or there will be no new forward. That does not mean the club has abandoned the idea entirely. A new No. 9 could still be pursued in January depending on how the team develops over the next few months, including its goalscoring output, injuries and the players available on the market. Casado and Fort departures could create room This is why Barcelona are not currently expected to complete a major signing during the final days of the summer window. The priority is to preserve enough financial fair play room to make a top-level striker signing in January if necessary. The club’s finances could improve further through departures. Barça hope to receive €25-30 million for Marc Casado and around €15 million for Hector Fort. Striker signing to wait until January if Alvarez doesn’t arrive. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) If either or both deals are completed, the club has not completely ruled out another signing before the window closes if Flick requests one. A centre-back remains a possibility The position that could still be reinforced is centre-back. Barcelona have lost Ronald Araujo, while Álvaro Cortés is also set to leave. However, Flick still has plenty of options in the position, including Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Eric García. The coach and Deco are assessing the situation before deciding whether another defender is necessary. Any potential signing, however, would have to be weighed against the club’s bigger objective: maintaining enough financial fair play capacity to bring in a centre-forward in January. The Barcelona sporting department is already planning with that scenario in mind.