Barcelona Targets Adeyemi as Part of Attack Overhaul
Barcelona’s attacking overhaul under Hansi Flick has moved into its next phase, with the Spanish champions submitting an offer for Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi, a source has told ESPN.
The bid is on the table. The deal is not.
Adeyemi, 24, is under contract at Dortmund until 2027, but Barça believe there is an opportunity to prise him away for a reduced fee this summer. They have already thrashed out a loose understanding over personal terms with the player, yet talks between the clubs remain alive and incomplete, with the same source stressing that nothing is imminent and nothing has been signed.
This is not the search for a new No. 9. That hunt continues elsewhere.
Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez remains the primary target to lead the line next season, and Barcelona’s move for Adeyemi runs alongside, not instead of, that pursuit. President Joan Laporta has publicly confirmed a bid for Álvarez, who has made clear he wants to leave Atlético, and the club are still working to land a central striker of that calibre.
Flick, appointed with a brief to refresh a squad that has just won back-to-back LaLiga titles, asked for a shake-up in the forward line months ago. The response has been ruthless.
Robert Lewandowski, the reference point of the attack, has gone, joining Chicago Fire on a free transfer. Marcus Rashford’s loan spell is over and he has returned to Manchester United. Ferran Torres is heading into the final year of his contract, a precarious position for any Barça player in the current financial climate, and Roony Bardghji is another who could depart before the window closes.
One major reinforcement is already in the building. England international Anthony Gordon has arrived from Newcastle United in a €70 million move, a statement signing to add direct running and goals from the flank. Yet even with Gordon on board, the recruitment team has kept its foot down, convinced the squad still lacks depth and variety in the wide areas.
That is where Adeyemi comes in.
The Germany international offers something different to the existing options of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Gordon. Adeyemi can operate across the front line, comfortable on either wing or through the middle, and brings a more vertical, explosive profile that suits Flick’s preference for high-tempo transitions and aggressive pressing.
Adeyemi first caught Europe’s eye at Red Bull Salzburg, his pace and movement marking him out as one of the most dangerous young forwards in Austria. Dortmund moved for him in 2022, and he has now completed four seasons in Germany. Across 146 appearances for the club, he has scored 36 goals, including 10 in 39 outings in all competitions last season.
Those numbers are solid rather than spectacular, but Barcelona see upside: a 24-year-old with Champions League experience, proven in a high-pressure environment, and still with room to grow. If the fee stays in the “cut price” territory they are hoping for, it becomes the sort of calculated gamble a cash-strapped giant has to take.
For now, negotiations drag on. Dortmund hold a player tied down until 2027 and have no need to rush. Barcelona, juggling the pursuit of Álvarez, the integration of Gordon and the uncertainty around several current forwards, must decide how far to push.
If Adeyemi does walk through the doors at the Camp Nou, he will join a front line almost unrecognisable from the one that delivered those consecutive league titles. The question is no longer whether Barcelona are rebuilding their attack.
It is how radical they are prepared to make the final version.
