Hans Flick, Barcelona coach, spoke about the possibility of his team signing a pure striker during the current summer transfer window, as the Blaugrana are looking to add a player in this position following Robert Lewandowski’s departure at the end of last season.
Barcelona are seeking to replace Lewandowski in the coming period, and the Blaugrana have spent the past weeks trying to sign Atlético Madrid star Julián Álvarez, but the Spanish capital club refuses to part with the Argentine international.
Flick also turned to the Barcelona academy and relied on the services of young Egyptian star Hamza Abdel Karim, who impressed and scored two goals in the recent friendly against Birmingham City in preparation for the next season.
Flick admitted in remarks reported by Mundo Deportivo that Barcelona’s signing of a new striker is closely tied to Ferran Torres’ future and whether he will leave or stay with the Blaugrana next season.
Read also .. English club joins the race to sign Ferran Torres
Flick first spoke about Barcelona’s training camp in England: “One of the best camps I have ever coached a team in.”
Flick expressed great confidence in Barcelona’s sporting director Deco and his ability to strengthen the striker position.
On Ferran Torres’ future and the pure-striker role, Flick replied: “It now depends on the club; we have to wait. I have full confidence in Deco and we know we need to do something. It also depends on Ferran and we will see what we do.”
Flick did not rule out the false-nine idea used at Barcelona last season, adding: “Lamine Yamal played two matches for us as a false nine. He is a wonderful, top-class player who can adapt to that position. Our focus is on him as a winger, but we will see what happens. Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi can also play as pure strikers and on either wing. We have many options and we will see what happens.”
Regarding the possibility of Barcelona signing a midfielder after Frenkie de Jong’s injury, he continued: “We are always thinking about improving the team and becoming better, but right now I think we have plenty of midfielders and that is the current situation. We will see what happens in the coming weeks.”
On new signing, young winger Jesse Bisiou, he added: “He has trained with us a little and has only just arrived, but you can already see he is a talented and fast player. The plan is for him to train with the first team.”
Flick praised the Barcelona academy, saying: “First and foremost, the conditions here at St George’s Park were excellent. We are very close to the pitch and very close to everything, and the pitch grass was also superb. But when I compare this camp with my first season’s camp with the team, when I arrived here in 2024, I think we have greater quality this season both at senior level and among the young players and La Masia talents.”
On La Masia talent Ibrahima Tunkara, he added: “Ibrahima is a wonderful talent, as is Oriol. We have many outstanding players. Xavi Espart also played excellently at right-back and delivered a great performance against Birmingham City, but you can also see in training that he is a top-level player. There are many talented players. Héctor Fort is also outstanding; he is very fast and technically excellent. I think his loan spell at Elche last season was very beneficial for him. He has also understood what it means to play for Barcelona, so he is fully committed to us, and we will see what happens with him.”
On how to handle Barcelona’s international players after their World Cup triumph with Spain, Flick concluded: “Champions never stop achieving more. They know how to win titles and that is important. Winning the World Cup should give them even more confidence. When you work hard and stay focused every day, it eventually becomes special. That is what we want to achieve this season.”
