In the last summer transfer window, Barcelona had a humongous task in their hands: to replace a certain Robert Lewandowski. For the last four seasons, the Polish striker had made the No.9 position his very own, accumulating over 100 goals across competitions. His partnership with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal gave the Spanish giants one of the most formidable attacking trios in Europe at that time as well.
With Lewandowski moving to MLS and Barcelona selling Ferran Torres to PSG, it left a major void for a natural striker at the club. Barca did sign Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal in the final days of the summer transfer window, but it was largely a forced signing after they couldn’t acquire Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid. Hansi Flick, however, showed most of his confidence in Raphinha, experimenting with the Brazilian in that position.
The decision yielded results, as the Brazilian has already scored 15 goals in 11 competitions, but has also folded in the latest two big games against PSG and Real Madrid. Amidst this, journalist Fabrizio Romano has made a stellar revelation that Alvarez wasn’t the only high-profile striker that the Catalan club was interested in, as they had also enquired about 2026 Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane.
“Last summer, Barcelona tried to understand situation of Harry Kane; he appreciated the effort, but his focus was on Bayern,” Romano recently stated.
Kane, 30, is undoubtedly one of the fiercest strikers going around in the world right now. His production numbers, along with his ability to score from difficult angles and come deep to create chances, make him a perfect fit as Lewandowski’s replacement in Hansi Flick’s system.
Kane’s recent numbers for Munich have been exceptional as well, scoring 61 goals and 7 assists for the German club in 51 games. Barcelona’s sporting director Deco was also quite interested in the player and was eager to land him at Camp Nou.
Kane would also give financial leverage in comparison to Alvarez, whose asking price was over £ 83.7M (100M Euros). In comparison, it was reported that Kane had a release clause of £ 54.4M (65M Euros), which is fairly less than that of Alvarez’s asking price.
But with Kane totally devoted to playing for Bayern Munich, the Spanish giants eventually went on a full-fledged push for Alvarez. Meanwhile, Kane stayed in Munich, where he renewed his contract that was supposed to expire next year, showcasing his eagerness to play for the Bavarians.
As per the new deal, Kane is now locked up through the summer of 2029. The German club also gave Kane a hefty salary of £ 20.9 million (25M Euros) as he is currently one of the most crucial players in the team. On the other hand, Barca is playing with Raphinha and Gabriel Jesus in that No.9 position this season, but desperately needs a young, talented, prolific natural No.9 to lead Barac’s attack.
