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Barcelona identify three players as long-term replacement for veteran striker

Strikers are always in the highest demand in the world of football, especially those who are successful when young and have a long career ahead of them.

Barcelona have been served well in the department in recent times, first by Luis Suarez and now by Robert Lewandowski. With the latter nearing the end of his glorious career, however, finding an alternative is imperative.

The market, however, is highly inflated and scarce in resources in the centre-forward department, leaving the financially struggling club in a complicated situation.

Three options

Barcelona identify three players as long-term replacement for veteran striker

Etta Eyong has made a strong start to life at Levante. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

As relayed in a recent report by Fichajes, the Catalans have identified three options to pursue as their long-term striker who can arrive on relatively lower transfer fees and have good quality.

The first name on their radar is Etta Eyong, Levante’s striker who joined from Villarreal this summer.

At just 21 years of age, the player would be a long-term bet and has already made a strong start to life with Levante, as he has three goals and as many assists in just five league games so far.

Villarreal have a buyback option on the player, and Barcelona must thus be extremely tactful if they hope to sign him next summer.

A young pearl on Barcelona’s radar – Francesco Camarda. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The second alternative identified is AC Milan star Francesco Camarda, who is currently on loan at Lecce. He made his debut in Serie A at just 15 years of age and now, at 17, is seen as one of the fastest-growing young strikers.

His market value currently stands at around €10 million, and his technique, agility, and movements make him a good bet for the Catalans. The hurdle, however, could potentially be negotiations with AC Mila, who themselves may be betting on the star.

The third player on the club’s radar is RB Salzburg’s Karim Konate, who, at just 21 years of age, made himself a well-known name for his physical presence as a striker.

Given that the player suffered an ACL rupture, however, his name has lost strength, for it remains uncertain to what extent he can recover his explosiveness post-recovery.