There's little over a week until the start of the La Liga season, and yet, Barcelona still have much to do. Ferran Torres has virtually gone, leaving after four-and-a-half polarizing seasons to join Luis Enrique and PSG. He joins the likes of Ansu Fati, Robert Lewandowski, and Iñaki Peña to leave Catalunya permanently this summer, while Ronald Araújo and Marc-André ter Stegen left on loan.
The arrivals have been scarce so far. Anthony Gordon joined right ahead of the World Cup, which proved to be smart timing as the England winger impressed with one goal and three assists. Karim Adeyemi joined in a potential bargain worth just €22 million to reinforce the attack. Jesse Bisiwu, an 18-year-old up-and-coming winger from Club Brugge, is the other new face.
Most of the focus has been on who hasn't joined, though. Barcelona are correctly in the middle of two dramatic transfer standoffs, with time running out. Rodri, who just played a key role for Spain's World Cup-winning team, has been widely linked with the club after seven years in England. As of right now, Barcelona and Manchester City have not yet reached an agreement.
The other deal is far more complex. That is Barcelona's pursuit of Julián Álvarez, the 26-year-old Argentina and Atlético Madrid forward. He is the perfect fit for Hansi Flick's side, and the dream signing for many fans. The catch? Álvarez is under contract with Atlético until 2030, and Diego Simeone's side have publicly and dramatically rebuffed approaches from both Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Barcelona still need a striker, especially in the wake of the Lewandowski and Torres departures. It is looking increasingly likely that the answer will not be Álvarez, regardless of how much the Argentine wants the move. With no one else in the pipeline quite ready, there has been talk of Adeyemi, Gordon, or even Lamine Yamal playing as a false nine. That wouldn't resolve the issue permanently, though.
A replacement for Lewandowski and Ferran Torres?
One of the names that has popped up as a replacement is Georges Mikautadze, and for good reason. The 25-year-old Georgian established himself as one of the best strikers in La Liga last season, scoring 13 goals in his first campaign. That marks his third consecutive season with at least ten league goals, despite playing for four clubs in that span.
There are a lot of reasons to like Mikautadze. Last season, he got his first taste of Champions League football with Villarreal, where he scored against Juventus. Granted, it was a largely underwhelming campaign, with that being his lone Champions League strike, but Villarreal overall struggled to impress against Europe's elite. At the very least, he has experience playing at Europe's highest level.
La Liga experience is another big benefit. Mikautadze recorded 19 goal contributions in his debut La Liga campaign and bagged goals against both Atlético and Real Madrid. He also confirmed in a January interview with Diario SPORT that his Spanish is progressing, which means he should fit in and communicate well with his Barcelona teammates, often an overlooked issue for new signings.
Mikautadze is quick and a great dribbler, and could form a dangerous, fluid front three alongside Raphinha and Yamal in Barcelona's attack. Crucially, he's also able to create, rather than being a pure scorer, which is a key trait for Flick's side. Last season he recorded six assists in La Liga, with nine in all competitions the previous season with OL in France.
The qualities missing
There are some potential issues. In terms of profile, he is nothing like Robert Lewandowski. Mikautadze scored a header in his second game of the season, but failed to do so for the remainder of the season. At 5'9", or 1.76 m tall, he's far from tall, and Barcelona would have virtually no aerial threat in the attack with the Georgian.
However, Mikautadze is taller than Álvarez, so clearly height isn't a major factor for the club's new nine. Mikautadze is very one-footed, though, with only one of his past 24 league goals coming from his weaker left foot. That's what separates many of the best strikers in the world from just the very good ones.
He's not necessarily a pressing striker, either, though in his defense, he hasn't really played in an incredibly high-pressing side. He may, then, be better off the ball with Barcelona than elsewhere, but it's certainly a drop-off from the defensive contributions that Álvarez would have added, or that Gordon could offer as a false nine.
There's also the "issue" of reputation. Barcelona have made it a point to target big names, whether it's Ballon d'Or winner Rodri or World Cup champion Álvarez. It seems the club wants big names to show that Barcelona are well and truly back, and should be feared not only on the pitch but in the transfer market. Fair or not, Mikautadze is not one of those marquee, fear-inducing signings.
That doesn't mean he'll be cheap, either. Villarreal signed Mikautadze only a year ago for €31 million, and he's under contract until 2031. At 25, he's only just entering his prime, and Villarreal are not desperate to sell, having qualified for the Champions League. Including add-ons, Villarreal's record sale is Álex Baena's €50 million move to Atlético last summer, and El Submarino Amarillo would likely hold out for a new club-record fee for the Georgian.
The dream candidate is obviously Álvarez, but the Argentine forward is just that: a dream. It looks very unlikely that Atlético allow him to leave, and Mikautadze would be a very interesting option for Barcelona, but not one without flaws. The Catalan side could pursue him instead of Álvarez and develop Hamza Abdelkarim behind him to have two different profiles up top, similarly to how Flick had Lewandowski and Torres last season.
Flick could also pursue the false nine route, with any of Adeyemi, Gordon, or Yamal being intriguing options centrally. That is increasingly looking like the solution, but if Barcelona want to bring in a new face, time is running out. Mikautadze could be just the man they need.
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