Barcelona's Summer Attack Strategy: Raphinha Stays Amid New Signings
Barcelona’s summer rebuild is accelerating, and it is aimed squarely at the sharp end of the pitch.
Anthony Gordon is already through the door. Now the club are close to tying up another high‑octane forward, with a deal for Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi moving towards completion. The agreement for the Germany international is set at €22 million, with a further €7 million available in appearance and title‑related bonuses – a relatively modest fee for a player with his speed and upside, and a clear sign of Barça’s intent to refresh the frontline.
“We are very excited about Adeyemi. We've liked him for a while. He's dangerous and fast, and Deco handled the signing very well. The news came out when it was meant to,” the president said, underlining both the club’s long‑term tracking of the forward and the sporting director’s role in pushing the move over the line.
New faces always bring new questions. At Barcelona, they usually start with: who has to go?
With Gordon already signed and Adeyemi on the way, speculation quickly swirled around Raphinha. Al‑Hilal, one of the most aggressive spenders in the Saudi Pro League, are circling and are reportedly readying a bid in excess of €90 million to prise the Brazilian away from Catalonia. For a club wrestling with financial constraints, that kind of number normally triggers a debate.
This time, Laporta tried to end the conversation before it truly began.
“Raphinha is going to stay. We have absolutely no interest in him leaving Barca. He is a mainstay,” he insisted. “With Gordon and Adeyemi, I see that we are reinforcing the attack, but that doesn’t mean we are going to part ways with Raphinha, who is key for us.”
It was a firm public backing of a player whose 2025‑26 campaign never quite caught fire when Barcelona needed him most. Laporta did not dodge that reality. He pointed to the winger’s level the year before, when the former Leeds United man looked among the elite in his position, and contrasted it with a season disrupted at precisely the wrong moment.
“The shame about last season is that he wasn’t able to be at full capacity during that final stretch of the League, Champions League, and Copa. The results would have been different,” Laporta reflected, a blunt admission of how much the club felt his absence in the decisive weeks.
The irony is clear: just as Barcelona load up on wide forwards and attacking midfielders, they are doubling down on the one they already have. That choice will define the shape of Hansi Flick’s first great selection battle.
Because now, the competition is fierce. Gordon and Adeyemi join a cast that already includes Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Ferran Torres and Rony Bardghji. Every one of them expects minutes, many of them expect starts, and all of them bring a different flavour to the final third. Flick suddenly has variety, pace, creativity and goals scattered across his attacking options.
He also has a headache he will welcome.
Barcelona are chasing a third straight La Liga crown and a serious tilt at the Champions League in 2026‑27. With the squad tilting towards youth and speed, and with Laporta drawing a clear red line around Raphinha’s future, the question is no longer whether Barça have enough firepower.
It is who, in this crowded, star‑studded forward line, will seize the stage when the season reaches its own final stretch.
