Hansi Flick has experimented with Lamine Yamal as a false nine but prefers to keep the teenager on the right. Spanish champions Barcelona have spent the summer strengthening different areas of their squad.

They have signed Rodri from Manchester City, which meant adding a Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup-winning captain to a midfield already packed with talent. They have added pace and width in their attack with Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, while Belgian winger Jesse Bisiwu, 18, has arrived as a longer-term investment.

But there is one notable gap - Barcelona do not have an established striker. With their first La Liga fixture away to Elche on Sunday, 23 August, Hansi Flick's side could go through the campaign without a number nine if they do not sign a striker before the window shuts on 1 September.

The experienced Robert Lewandowski, 37, left for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer when his contract expired at the end of last season, while Ferran Torres has joined Paris St-Germain for about 50m euros (£42.7m). Torres scored 21 goals in 49 appearances last season and was often used as an alternative to Lewandowski through the middle. Those two departures leave Barcelona without an established senior striker in their first-team squad.

The club have made it clear their preferred solution is to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid. The Argentina international, 26, said during the World Cup he would be looking for a move away. Atletico, though, made their position equally clear amid interest from Real Madrid too. Chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin said the club would not sell Alvarez, not even for 200m euros (£170.8m).

Flick acknowledged Barcelona must address the situation, but the German has options within his existing group of players. "We know we have to do something," Flick said this month, pointing to Lamine Yamal's ability to play as a false nine and the versatility of Gordon and Adeyemi.

Teenager Lamine Yamal has already become Barcelona's attacking focal point and is coming off a season in which he scored 24 goals and lifted the World Cup with Spain. Yet his greatest quality is arguably the ability to isolate a full-back from the right, cut inside and create something from seemingly impossible situations.

Flick's own preference remains for Lamine Yamal to operate from the right wing. Dani Olmo can also operate as a false nine, while Raphinha has also been used centrally by Flick. Fermin Lopez is another option in advanced areas and has said he is comfortable playing as a false nine.

Gordon and Adeyemi provide pace and direct running, although neither is a conventional number nine. Alternatively, Barcelona could choose to play with a fluid forward line, with players constantly rotating rather than one striker remaining between opposition centre-backs. That could make them extremely difficult to defend against.

However, there is no doubt their preferred option would be to recruit a specialised striker who fits the profile. Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres is a name being linked to their search. Earlier this summer, there were reports Arsenal had explored the possibility of including the Sweden international in a deal for Alvarez. But with Alvarez proving difficult to prise from Atleti, that could open the door for Barcelona to pursue a move for Gyokeres.

The 28-year-old joined Arsenal from Sporting last summer in a deal worth up to 73m euros (£64m) on a five-year contract and scored 21 goals in his first season in north London as the Gunners became Premier League champions. Barcelona, though, would have to make a significant financial commitment to persuade Arsenal to sell Gyokeres after just 12 months. Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez and Sporting's Colombian forward Luis Suarez have also been linked as club sources say the management team are working hard to act before the transfer window closes.

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