Barcelona are gearing up for the winter transfer window, ready to pounce on the right opportunity to land a new striker if results and their attacking play demand fresh blood up front. Crucially, they want to keep a margin within financial fair play rules and the funds needed to get any deal done.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, the summer window is winding down, with Tuesday the deadline, and Barcelona still have plenty of business to sort on both sides of the ledger. The club’s executive and sporting chiefs have already turned their attention to the next phase, though. Barring the exit of a major name or a twist in the Julian Alvarez saga, no other big signings are coming.
Management want that cushion within financial fair play rules, plus the cash for January, should a chance arise to sharpen the attack and boost the team’s firepower.
Hansi Flick could hardly hide his delight at how his players performed in the opening two La Liga fixtures, wins over Elche and Athletic. Barcelona scored seven goals and conceded none.
Their attacking output has been the standout, all the more striking given the club never replaced Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. Every official, coach and executive had flagged reinforcing the frontline as a priority.
Julian Alvarez was the main and only candidate to bolster the attack, and he still is. But Atletico Madrid’s refusal to negotiate scuppered Barcelona’s plans.
With the Madrid side digging in and the players in such fine form, Raphinha has taken on the false nine role and bagged three goals, matching Fermin Lopez’s tally. That persuaded Barcelona to shelve any striker move this window. Either Julian Alvarez arrives or nobody does.
Even so, the club won’t rule out a genuine number nine in the winter, depending on how the season unfolds over the coming months in terms of goals and injuries, as well as what the market offers.
No headline deal is likely in these final days, then. The Catalan giants want that financial fair play margin in place, anticipating the need to sign a top-class striker come January.
The club insist the numbers add up. And if a big sale goes through, such as Casado, for whom they hope to bank between 25 and 30 million euros, or Hector Fort, valued at around 15 million euros, another signing isn’t off the table should Hansi Flick ask for it.
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