FC Barcelona is already planning for life after Robert Lewandowski, and the board is looking at two very different forwards. According to Argentine journalist Gastón Edul, Julián Álvarez wants to leave Atlético Madrid after the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and Barcelona is leading the race to sign him. However, dealing with Atlético is always incredibly difficult. Because of that, Joan Laporta and his team are also looking at Bayern Munich star Harry Kane as a backup option, according to reports.
Let’s start with Álvarez. He is younger - 26 - and gives Barcelona a long-term option for the future. He runs constantly, presses defenders, scores, and can play anywhere across the front line. Not to mention - he’s a born winner, having won many trophies at a relatively young age, such as the UEFA Champions League and the World cup.
But the transfer fee is a massive problem. Atlético Madrid does not want to sell him to a direct rival in La Liga, and Barcelona already had an offer rejected of €100 million. Since clubs like Arsenal and PSG are also interested and have more money to spend, Barcelona might get priced out of the deal.
Harry Kane is a completely different type of player who doesn’t press as much but guarantees goals immediately. He just won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and scored a hat-trick in the cup final a few weeks ago to secure the DFB Pokal with a 3-0 win over VfB Stuttgart. He is one of the best finishers in the world, hugely experienced, and known for his link-up play. In many ways, it’d be Lewandowski 2.0, as the Polish star was sold by Bayern at a point where some said his age meant that he was going to be past his prime very soon.
And that’s the main problem with Kane: age, compounded with his cost. He is 32 years old and played a lot of minutes this past season. Spending a huge amount of money on an older player means Barcelona will never be able to sell him for a profit later. Bayern Munich also paid a fortune to get him (€100 million plus €10 million bonuses) from Tottenham Hotspur, so they will want to recoup most of that money - if they even agree to come to the negotiating table in the first place.
Álvarez wants the move, but Atlético refuses to lower their price unless Barcelona can pay a massive amount of cash upfront. Switching to Kane sounds like a great alternative, but Bayern Munich has no reason to sell their best striker cheap after a double-winning season. Barcelona is stuck waiting for now, hoping they can negotiate either of these clubs down. The Catalans may end up going for a third option if they cannot agree on a price.