Surrender or realism? Álvarez pushes Barcelona towards an unusual plan in January
The war continues
Barcelona are gearing up for the winter transfer market, ready to pounce on the right opportunity to sign a new striker should results and their attacking development demand fresh reinforcements up front. All the while, they intend to keep a margin within financial fair play rules and hold onto the funds needed to seal any deal.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Marca", the summer window is drawing to a close on Tuesday, and Barcelona still have several deals pending on both the incoming and outgoing fronts. Yet the club's executive and sporting officials are already working on the next phase. Barring the departure of a very prominent name or an unexpected twist in the Julian Alvarez saga, no other major signing will follow.
Management want to preserve that margin within financial fair play and safeguard the funds for the winter window, banking on a strong opportunity arising to bolster the attack and sharpen the team's goalscoring edge.
Hansi Flick made no secret of his delight at his players' performances in the opening two La Liga fixtures, both wins over Elche and Athletic. Barcelona scored seven goals and conceded none.
The attacking output stands out most of all. Remarkably, the club have yet to replace the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, even though everyone from the coaching staff to the boardroom had flagged reinforcing the attack as a priority.
Julian Alvarez was the main and only candidate to strengthen the front line, and he still is. But Atletico Madrid's refusal to negotiate has scuppered all of Barcelona's plans.
With the Madrid side digging in and Barcelona's players in fine form, Raphinha has taken on the false nine role and scored three goals, matching Fermin Lopez's tally. That has convinced Barcelona to halt any move for a striker this window. Either Julian Alvarez arrives or nobody does.
Even so, the club will not rule out signing an out-and-out striker in the winter, weighing up how the team develops over the coming months in terms of goals and injuries, alongside the options on the market.
That is why the Catalan side expect no marquee deal in the final days of the current window. They want to keep a margin within financial fair play in case they need to sign a top-class striker next time around.
Either way, the club insist their finances allow for it. Should a prominent deal go through, such as the sale of Casado, for whom they hope to bank between 25 and 30 million euros, or Hector Fort, valued at around 15 million euros, another signing is not off the table if Hansi Flick asks for it.
