Barcelona Left Without a Striker After Lewandowski and Torres Departures

Barcelona begin the 2026-27 La Liga season without a single established senior striker in their first-team squad after losing both Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres in the same window.

Lewandowski, 37, left for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer when his Barcelona contract expired at the end of the 2025-26 campaign (BBC Sport). Torres, 26, went the other direction across the Atlantic in terms of ambition — joining Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning European champions, for about 50 million euros (£42.7 million) on a five-year deal running until 2031 (The Athletic; ESPN). Torres had scored 21 goals in 49 appearances last season, often filling in for Lewandowski through the middle. Now both are gone, and the cupboard is bare.

Barcelona's preferred fix was Julian Alvarez. The Argentina international plays for Atletico Madrid, and sporting director Deco — backed by manager Hansi Flick — submitted a €100 million offer in early August (Yahoo Sports). Atletico's response was emphatic. Chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin said the club would not sell Alvarez, not even for 200 million euros (£170.8 million) — and that was amid interest from Real Madrid as well as Barcelona (BBC Sport). Short of an unfeasible bid, that door is shut.

So Flick is working with what he has. The German manager acknowledged the club must address the situation but pointed to options already in the building. Lamine Yamal, who scored 24 goals last season and lifted the World Cup with Spain, can play as a false nine — a striker who drops deep rather than standing on the last defender. The problem is that Flick's own preference remains for Yamal to operate from the right wing, where his dribbling and vision do the most damage.

The alternatives are a roll call of versatility rather than specialism. Dani Olmo can operate as a false nine. Raphinha has been used centrally. Fermin Lopez, another advanced-area option, has said he is comfortable in the role. New arrivals Gordon and Adeyemi provide pace and direct running, though neither is a conventional number nine — the traditional penalty-box finisher (BBC Sport).

For fans, this means a season that could be fascinating and frustrating in equal measure. Barcelona's ideal scenario remains signing a specialised striker who fits the profile. The fallback is a fluid forward line with players constantly rotating, a system that demands intelligence and telepathy but lacks the focal point a player like Lewandowski provided.

Losing a 37-year-old legend and a 26-year-old entering his prime in the same window is a brutal double blow. Lewandowski's exit was expected. Torres's departure to the European champions was not. Flick has the talent to improvise. Whether improvisation is enough over 38 league games plus European nights is the question hanging over the Camp Nou as the season opens.