Barcelona eye rival striker as Robert Lewandowski replacement | OneFootball

Barcelona president Joan Laporta will pledge to build a squad around Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez in the 2026 club elections, a report has claimed.

Laporta is ready to run again in 2026 and is a firm believer in offering a transfer promise to voters, having previously been tipped to tease a move for Manchester City striker Erling Haaland before the Norwegian signed a new contract.

Striker is likely to be the biggest area of concern in the squad in 2026, when current starter Robert Lewandowski will be approaching 38 years of age. There are no worries about the Poland international's current level - he has 40 goals in 48 games across all competitions - but there is an awareness his days at the top of the game have to be considered numbered.

Putting all the pieces together, MARCA state Laporta plans to build his next election bid around Alvarez, who was on the radar last year before Atletico snatched him away from City in a deal worth a whopping (€95m) £81.5m instead.

Barcelona had no chance of rivalling those finances last year but Laporta has focused his current presidency on restoring the club's financial power and there is hope that, by the time 2026 arrives, they may be in a position to bid for players like Alvarez.

Signing the 25-year-old from Atletico, where he is under contract until 2030, is likely to be far more difficult than luring Alvarez away from City was, however, and Laporta recognises the significant effort which will have to be made to land his signature.

Alvarez, for his part, is thought to be delighted with his decision to join Atletico, where he hopes to take his game to the next level and become one of the game's top strikers.

The Argentina international has 27 goals from 50 games in his first season, dovetailing perfectly alongside former Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann in Diego Simeone's attack.