Barcelona pinpoint No. 1 striker target ahead of 2026 summer – Report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona know they have a major squad issue to solve in the summer of 2026. For the past four seasons, Robert Lewandowski has been the undisputed number nine for the Catalan club, but his contract expires this summer.

The Pole is now 37 years old and has seen his prominence diminish this season, with Flick pivoting towards the younger Ferran Torres. It feels unlikely that a renewal is on the cards for the legendary striker.

Thus, Barcelona will need to go into the market and sign a new number nine. According to La Posesión (h/t SPORT), Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez has emerged as the undisputed number one target for the Catalan club.

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Deco has tracked Alvarez for quite some time, and the name has been doing the rounds. However, the South American’s transfer fee was always expected to be the stumbling block in a potential move for him in the near future.

Even so, as per the report, Barcelona are willing to pull out all the stops to try to sign Alvarez, as they believe he is not just an elite goalscorer, but can also offer a lot in terms of chance creation and versatility.

One wonders if this news, coming quickly on the back of Barcelona nearing a return to 1:1, is in any way connected. Alvarez has seen a dip in fortunes at Atletico Madrid, but still remains a world-class player.

What Flick and co. need to analyse, though, is whether he is the right profile to replace Lewandowski. Stylistically, the Argentine is closer to Ferran, and Barcelona need to figure out whether they should look in a different direction.