FC Barcelona opened their La Liga campaign with a 5-0 win over Elche, with Raphinha and Fermin Lopez each scoring twice and Karim Adeyemi adding the fifth goal.
The rout came despite Barcelona entering the season without a recognized senior striker. The club chose not to renew Robert Lewandowski's contract over the summer, and Ferran Torres then moved to Paris Saint-Germain for close to 50 million euros. Barcelona have brought in Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United and Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund, but neither player is a natural number nine.
Flick on finding Lewandowski's successor
Speaking to reporters after the match, Flick was asked about signing a central striker. He avoided giving specifics, saying he needed to discuss the matter with sporting director Deco and do what was best for the club, adding that a decision would come next week.
During the game against Elche, Raphinha at times dropped into the striker's role. Flick said Raphinha set a strong example for intensity during matches, and that when he led the press, the rest of the team followed. Flick added that Raphinha was the team's captain.
Alvarez and Martinez ruled out
For most of the transfer window, Barcelona's priority target has been Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid. The Argentine striker was recently booed by his own fans during Atletico's 2-2 draw with Villarreal. Atletico do not want to sell Alvarez to Barcelona, though they are reportedly open to a deal with Arsenal.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said the club would not dance to someone else's tune and would set the pace themselves. He said Atletico had received Barcelona's offer and replied that they currently had no plans to sell Alvarez because they lacked a replacement for him. Laporta said he told Atletico that if an alternative striker emerged for them, Barcelona's offer would still stand, and that it would remain valid for as long as the club saw fit. He said Barcelona treated Atletico with the utmost respect.
A move for Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan is also not expected to happen, as the Italian champions consider him not for sale. Barcelona have also been linked with other forwards this summer, including Luis Suarez of Sporting CP, Vangelis Pavlidis of SL Benfica, Folarin Balogun of AS Monaco, Richarlison of Tottenham Hotspur and Matheus Cunha of Manchester United.
