Barcelona face striker dilemma - could they cope without one?

Barcelona, the reigning Spanish champions, have bolstered their squad this summer with the acquisition of Rodri from Manchester City, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, and the signing of 18-year-old Belgian winger Jesse Bisiwu. Despite these reinforcements, the club still lacks a traditional striker for the upcoming La Liga campaign, which begins on Sunday, 23 August against Elche.

Strikers Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres have departed for Major League Soccer and Paris St-Germain respectively, leaving Barcelona short of an established senior forward. Barcelona's preferred option to address this void is to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid, but the Argentine international has ruled out a move to his former club, citing a potential transfer fee of 200m euros (£170.8m).

Manager Hansi Flick has expressed the need to address this issue, suggesting that players such as Lamine Yamal, the club's 24-goal scorer from the World Cup, and pacey wingers Gordon and Adeyemi can adapt to playing as false nines or in fluid forward lines. Young Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim, signed this summer, could also fill this role, while Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres has been linked with a potential move.

However, Barcelona would need to make a significant financial commitment to secure his transfer, as Arsenal is unwilling to sell the 28-year-old.