Transfer news: In their search for a number 9, Barça are heading for another failure after the Alvarez deal

With less than two weeks remaining in the summer transfer window, FC Barcelona is still searching for a number 9. Having failed to secure Julian Alvarez, who has expressed his desire to join the Catalan club, the Spanish champions are exploring other options, with Lautaro Martinez at the forefront. However, Inter Milan considers their captain non-transferable.

A summer preseason that ended on a high note. FC Barcelona won the Joan Gamper Trophy on Wednesday after their friendly victory against Al-Ahly (2-1), before kicking off their season away at Elche on Sunday (9:30 pm). And as they prepare to defend their Spanish league title, the Catalan club is still searching for a striker to fill the void left by the departures of Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, and Marcus Rashford.

"We're looking for a number 9, and Deco is doing an excellent job," Hansi Flick told TV3 after the match, also praising young Hamza Abdelkarim, Barça's top scorer in preseason with four goals. "Hamza is a good striker. You can see it when he gets on the end of crosses. Today, I saw him hold onto the ball, which is positive. That's what I expect from him."

Diego Simeone is firm on Julian Alvarez's situation

With just ten days left for Barcelona to find their much-desired center-forward, the Catalan club has turned its attention to another target as the transfer of Julian Alvarez, their top priority, appears to be falling through. As reported by Sport, the deal has stalled, and Barça will abandon this pursuit by the end of the week if the situation remains unresolved, with Atlético Madrid proving inflexible on the matter.

The Argentine world champion has nevertheless mentioned his desire to join Barça during the summer, a desire criticized by the Colchoneros management, who have filed a complaint with FIFA against the Catalan club for illegal contact with Alvarez, under contract until 2030 with Atlético.

"When the club owner speaks so clearly, there is nothing more to add. It's like in a trial. It's a dismissal," said Real Madrid coach Diego Simeone on Tuesday.

Inter Milan deem Lautaro Martinez "non-transferable"

The preferred player is now reportedly Lautaro Martinez. According to Sport, Barça has so far only gathered information on a potential transfer and believes the door is open with the Argentinian, even though he is one of the key players at Inter Milan where he has been playing since the summer of 2018 (175 goals in 376 matches).

While the Spanish media is quite optimistic, suggesting that Inter Milan is a selling club and is always considering offers for all its players, the story is very different in Italy. Sky Sport Italia reports that "the Nerazzurri consider their captain non-transferable" and that he "is not on the transfer market, despite recent rumors in the major Spanish media outlets." Lautaro Martinez had also extended his contract with the Italian club until June 2029.