Barcelona's No.9 Search Intensifies: Álvarez and Kroupi in Focus

Barcelona’s hunt for a new No.9 has taken a sharp turn, with the Spanish champions sounding out a move for Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi while keeping Julián Álvarez firmly at the top of their wishlist, a source told ESPN.

The message from the boardroom is clear: Robert Lewandowski is gone, and Barça intend to rebuild their attack with ambition, not caution.

Álvarez bid on the table – but no breakthrough

Joan Laporta has already gone public. Barcelona have made an offer for Álvarez, who told ESPN in June that he wants to leave Atlético Madrid. The bid did not convince Atleti, and the door has not swung open since.

Laporta has stressed that the proposal will stay on the table if Atlético soften their stance, but this is no endless saga. The offer has a shelf life, and Barça are refusing to wait around while their rivals prepare for the new season with their squads largely settled.

So the club have started to work on a parallel track.

Kroupi: the rising star with a soaring price tag

As talks for Álvarez stall, Barcelona have turned their attention to Kroupi, asking about his situation at Bournemouth, according to a source. The response they are likely to hear: it will not be cheap.

Kroupi, 20, has become one of the Premier League’s fastest-rising forwards. Signed from Lorient for €15 million last summer, the France U21 international exploded in his first season in England, scoring 13 goals in 35 appearances. That return, combined with his age and upside, has put him on the radar of several of Europe’s elite clubs.

Bournemouth, unsurprisingly, are in no rush to cash in. Reports suggest they would demand upwards of €100 million to even consider a sale, a figure that reflects both his impact and the Premier League’s hardened stance when big clubs come calling.

Barcelona know those numbers. They also know their own financial limits. But the fact they have made an enquiry underlines how determined they are to find the right successor to Lewandowski.

Flick reshapes the champions’ front line

Hansi Flick is not treating this summer as a gentle tune-up. After back-to-back LaLiga titles and repeated frustration in the Champions League, the coach wants a sharper, more unpredictable attack going into his third season.

The overhaul has already begun. Anthony Gordon has arrived from Newcastle United, bringing direct running and edge from wide areas. Karim Adeyemi has joined from Borussia Dortmund, another high-speed, high-ceiling option who can stretch defences and attack space.

At the same time, the old guard and stopgaps are moving on. Lewandowski has departed for MLS side Chicago Fire, ending a prolific but ultimately incomplete European chapter in Catalonia. Marcus Rashford has returned to Manchester United after his loan spell, leaving another hole in Flick’s forward rotation.

And the uncertainty doesn’t end there. Ferran Torres, the man who scored Spain’s winning goal in the World Cup final against Argentina, also faces an unclear future. His situation adds another layer of complexity to a forward unit in flux.

A decisive summer in the final third

Barcelona’s plan is bold but simple: lock in their long-term No.9 now, while their domestic dominance still gives them leverage and aura.

Álvarez remains the preferred option. Proven at the highest level, already embedded in LaLiga, and hungry for a bigger role, he fits Flick’s vision almost perfectly. Yet Atlético’s resistance has forced Barça to test the market, and Kroupi is one of the most intriguing – and expensive – alternatives.

The champions have already shifted the pieces around Gordon and Adeyemi. The next move, the one that defines their attack for years, will be the choice between paying up for potential in Kroupi or holding their nerve and waiting to see if Atlético blink on Álvarez.

Barcelona know they cannot afford to get this decision wrong.