Barcelona are desperately in need of a back-up forward to deputise for their star trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez and now latest reports from Daily Mail claim that manager Luis Enrique has drawn a three-man striker shortlist.
The Spanish giants have been linked with a number of forwards in this transfer window such as Luciano Vietto, Gabriel Jesus and Kevin Gamerio, but they have been knocked back time and again as none of the forwards are keen to play second fiddle to the amazing ‘MSN’ trio.
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Barcelona have now set their sights on signing either one of Paco Alcacer, Salomon Rondon or Newcastle’s Ayoze Perez as a back-up. While Paco Alcacer is said to be Barcelona’s primary target, negotiations might be complicated as the talented Spaniard’s release clause is set at €80 million while Barcelona want to complete the deal for around €30 million.
A slightly more surprising target is West Brom striker Salomon Rondon.The big Venezuelan has already experienced Spain’s top flight with Malaga and Las Palmas and he could provide an interesting Plan ‘B’ to Luis Enrique. At a height well over 6 feet, Rondon could prove to be quite a threat from set-pieces.
Should both these moves fail, Enrique could be in for Newcastle United’s talented Spanish striker Ayoze Perez. The nimble Spaniard is more a Barcelona type of player and could be available for a low price as the Magpies are currently in the Championship. Perez has good close control and dribbling skills although he needs to work on his finishing.
Barcelona’s technical secretary remained confident of signing a fourth forward before the start of the La Liga season:
"(The new signing) will be a striker. We had to analyse all the things that were on the table and so I had to travel (to South America to address different alternatives). After that we will take the most opportune decision for the team," Fernandez explained after the 3-2 victory over Sampdoria as reported by AS. He added: "It will be (done) before the start of La Liga, that is at least my intention."
The trip to South America, however, did not seem to bear fruit as Paco Alcacer seems to be the first choice with the 22-year-old Spanish attacker willing to accept a bit-part role. However, with Valencia unwilling to let go of their prized asset, it will be interesting to see when and who Barcelona manage to sign as their back-up forward.
