Barcelona face striker dilemma - could they cope without one?

What the report says

Barcelona enter the new La Liga season with an unresolved striker issue, according to BBC Sport Football, after the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres left Hansi Flick without an established senior centre-forward in his first-team squad. The club’s opening league match is away to Elche on 23 August, and the transfer window closes on 1 September, so the situation could still change before the deadline.

BBC Sport reports that Barcelona have strengthened elsewhere this summer, but the forward line remains the biggest gap. Flick has experimented with different solutions from within the squad, including using Lamine Yamal as a false nine, while Dani Olmo, Raphinha and Fermín López are also seen as possible central options. Even so, the preferred outcome remains the signing of a specialist striker.

One major target is Juventus striker? No—BBC Sport says Barcelona’s main pursuit is Atlético Madrid forward Julián Álvarez, though Atlético have insisted he is not for sale. Other names linked with the search include Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres, Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martínez and Sporting’s Luis Suárez. The broader issue matters because Barcelona are defending Spanish champions and may be forced to adapt tactically if they cannot land a natural No. 9 before the window closes.