Barcelona are currently in the market for a new striker as they are looking to fill the void left by Luis Suarez, who moved to Atletico Madrid last summer. Suarez established him as one of Europe’s best during his time at the Nou Camp, and hence the Catalans hadn’t had to look beyond the Uruguayan when he was at his peak. Then came the 2019/20 season where the former Liverpool man showed a big decline coinciding with Barca’s horrible campaign – winning no trophies in the end. Ronald Koeman, who was brought in as the new manager last summer, told Suarez that he was not in his plans, which eventually led to his exit. The reality is Barca are missing a striker like Suarez this season, although Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann can play in that role – they are sort of false 9s. Koeman, who is expected to lead the Catalans next season after being endorsed by the new president, wants to bring in a new No.9 who can score goals regularly. Barca have shortlisted around six names and let’s take a look at them.
Erling Haaland
Not only Barca, but several other top clubs of Europe are also keen on signing Erling Haaland, who is tipped to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer. The Norwegian has been deemed by many as the player who can take the throne from the star duo Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in this decade. Haaland has scored more than 30 goals across all competitions this season, and hence he is being valued at in the excess of 150m pounds. Reports state that Haaland will only love to play for top clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, with his agent Mino Raiola and father visiting both the clubs recently to discuss a potential move. The 20-year-old can mark the beginning of a new-look Barca under Laporta, but it remains to be seen whether the Catalans can still pull this transfer off.
Memphis Depay
Depay is the option recommended by manager Koeman since both worked in the Dutch national team. One of the biggest advantages of the Lyon forward is that he can be acquired for free this summer once his contract runs out. Nobody would have expected Depay to resurrect his career at Lyon after his troublesome spell with Manchester United. Now, the 26-year-old is one of Europe’s underrated attackers, and he looks ready to take the next big leap of his career.
Romelu Lukaku
When you talk about the best strikers at present, Romelu Lukaku‘s name will be up there at the top. Like Depay, Lukaku also left behind the troubled past at Man Utd to become one of the main men for Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan, who are currently leading the race for Scudetto. The 26-year-old has scored his 20 goals in 27 Serie A appearances this season and is three goals away from bettering last season’s tally. Barca have also put the Belgian ace on the wishlist due to his scintillating form. Koeman had previously worked with Lukaku during his managerial stint at Everton.
Lautaro Martinez
Barca had been strongly linked with a move to Lukaku’s strike partner at Inter, Lautaro Martinez before they cooled their interest due to his expensive release clause. No, the Argentine is said to be back on the radar of the Catalans. While Lukaku has taken the limelight for his heroics, Martinez’s numbers are also impressive – 14 goals and 5 assists in Serie A, and he has already matched last season’s goal tally. The 23-year-old has grown in stature over the past two seasons, which helped him take over the striker role at the Argentine national team from Sergio Aguero.
Harry Kane
Tottenham striker Harry Kane can be argued as one of the complete players in Europe this season as he has racked up 27 goals and 13 assists across all competitions. Perhaps, the English striker hasn’t shown any signs of slump over the last seasons and still, he is not recognised among the elites. Now the 27-year-old has been tipped to move away from Spurs to relish his prime years at any of Europe’s top clubs. Although the Blaugrana are interested in his services, Kane would be a difficult target financially.
Sergio Aguero
The oldest striker on the list yet president Joan Laporta considers the signing of Sergio Aguero as a measure to keep Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp. Aguero is up for the grab after City announced that their top scorer in history would leave at the end of the season. Besides Barca, PSG and Inter Milan are reportedly keen on the Argentine’s free transfer.
