Barcelona's Late Striker Search: Laporta and Deco's Urgent Moves
Joan Laporta was at Barcelona’s training complex before most of the players on Tuesday. Not for show, not for cameras. With a week left of the summer window, the president wanted to be in the building early, to greet Hansi Flick and the squad, then head straight into what really matters right now: deals.
Once the session was under way, Laporta slipped into a meeting with the club’s sporting management. Files on the table, phones close at hand, one date in everyone’s mind: 1 September. By then, Barcelona want several outstanding operations either closed or definitively parked.
Deco arrived at roughly the same time as Laporta. That timing tells its own story. The sporting director is locked into the same countdown, and both men know there is one priority towering above the rest.
Striker hunt after Lewandowski exit
Barcelona want a striker. A pure No 9. The view inside the sporting department is clear: after Robert Lewandowski’s departure, the squad needs a specialist centre-forward to anchor the attack.
Names are on the list. The problem now is not identifying targets, but moving fast enough to land one. With only days left, Barcelona must turn exploratory conversations into concrete negotiations, testing which players and which clubs are actually reachable in the final stretch of the window.
Laporta and Deco are monitoring that chase almost hour by hour. They have held repeated meetings in recent weeks to track how the market shifts, weighing up cost, availability and the tactical fit Flick wants. The message from the top is consistent: if a striker deal is possible, Barcelona will push.
The irony is that the team have started the season brightly in front of goal. The 5-0 demolition of Elche underlined the attacking talent already at Flick’s disposal. It did not, however, change the internal conviction that a specialist centre-forward is still required for the long haul of the campaign.
Internal options – but not ideal solutions
Flick is not short of players who can operate through the middle. Raphinha can do it. Anthony Gordon can do it. Hamza Abdelkarim can do it. All three have the mobility and intelligence to rotate into that role when needed.
Barcelona, though, see those options as emergency solutions rather than a long-term plan. Inside the club, the belief is that each of them is far more dangerous in his natural zone, where his strengths are maximised rather than compromised.
Gordon is the clearest example. His versatility was one of the main reasons Barcelona pushed to bring him in. The Englishman can stretch teams from the wing, drift inside or lead the line when required, giving Flick tactical flexibility during matches. But even with that, the sporting management do not want the striker position to depend on improvisation.
Balde on the market and defensive puzzle
The striker search is only part of the late-window puzzle. Alejandro Balde’s future sits on another key file in front of Laporta and Deco.
Manchester United have stepped forward and made their interest in the Spanish full-back known. The Premier League side are prepared to explore a loan deal, a formula that would keep long-term control in Barcelona’s hands.
Barcelona, for their part, lean towards a permanent transfer if Balde is to leave. A sale would bring in money and create room in the wage bill, potentially easing other operations in the final days.
If Balde does go, another domino falls. The club are already considering whether they would then need to move for a left-footed centre-back to reinforce Flick’s back line. That would add yet another task to an already crowded agenda before deadline day.
Strong start, no time to relax
The mood around the club has been lifted by results. That 5-0 thrashing of Elche particularly pleased Laporta, a statement win that showcased Flick’s attacking blueprint and the depth of talent in the squad.
It did not, though, tempt the sporting hierarchy into complacency. Inside the offices, the thinking remains ruthless: performances in August do not erase structural needs for the season. A No 9 is still on the wish list. Balde’s situation still needs clarity. Other late opportunities in the market still need to be assessed.
Seven days remain. Barcelona are now racing the clock as much as they are competing with rivals. The striker search, the Balde decision and any last-minute moves all hang in the balance, with Laporta and Deco driving the process.
By the time the window closes, the question will be simple: did Barcelona do enough, or will this frantic final week define their season?
