Flick faces difficult, costly Lewandowski succession from Julián Álvarez to Joao Pedro | OneFootball

Barcelona are reshaping their attack after Robert Lewandowski’s farewell. Hansi Flick wants a forward to knit the frontline rather than a like-for-like No 9, but the market and finances make it costly.

Julián Álvarez has been the priority, yet he is expensive and hard to reach. Atlético want more than €100m and would prefer Paris SG took him instead of seeing him weekly in La Liga. According to Cadena SER, Lautaro Martínez is also in the frame.

Joao Pedro, now at Chelsea, could even top the list, though Xabi Alonso’s planned reset at Stamford Bridge complicates any move. Chelsea paid €63.7m to sign him from Brighton a year ago.

Dusan Vlahovic could be available for free and is more affordable, but he is not among the leading options. Flick wants a No 9 to link with Lamine Yamal’s creativity and Raphinha’s work, while preserving Lewandowski’s 119 goals across four years.

Flick admitted replacing Robert will be hard and said the team need a connected striker who also scores. He has only worked with Lewandowski as a true centre-forward at Bayern and then Barça, using Thomas Müller and Kai Havertz for Germany at Qatar 2022.

The signing is likely the biggest outlay of Joan Laporta’s second term, above the €60m for Dani Olmo or the €27m for Joan Garcia’s clause, unless it is Vlahovic. Flick said they know what they want, but must wait, promising to try everything, including testing Lamine Yamal centrally.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo