Flick: I don't want to talk about Julian

With just over a week to go before the transfer window closes, Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick insists he is not at all worried about the situation with the search for a new forward. The Catalan club continues to work in the market, trying to find the perfect nine after significant personnel changes in attack. The Argentine striker was the main target of Barca in order to fill the void after the departure of Robert Lewandowski. However, according to recent reports, the Spanish champions have suspended their efforts to sign the player. The reason was the categorical refusal of Atletico Madrid to authorize this transfer. Barcelona hoped that Madrid would soften their position after the player himself expressed his desire to leave the club. However, the management of Atlético refused to make concessions. This angered the player's agent, Fernando Hidalgo, who believed he had already reached an agreement with the club's CEO, Miguel Angel Jil Marin. "Never ask a liar why they lied. To explain it, they would have to lie again," Hidalgo wrote in a cryptic message on Instagram. Hansi Flick himself refused to comment on this situation ahead of Sunday's match against Elche: "I know you don't want to hear this, but I don't want to talk about Julian. That's the situation, and I won't discuss it," the helmsman said. After the departure of Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford, the team suffered significant losses (Barca conceded 54 goals last season and the coaching staff is looking to balance the game). Anthony Gordon, Kareem Adeyemi and Jesse Bisiwu have already arrived to strengthen the squad. In addition, Rodri (who will miss the match against Elche) and Joao Cancelo are the fourth and fifth summer signings. Despite Alvarez's failed transfer, Flick exudes confidence: "I'm not worried about this. We talk with sports director Deku every day. We want to make the team stronger - that's our job. Only Deku, I and a few other people know exactly what they want. Deku does his job perfectly," emphasized Hansi the specialist. Due to the shortage of nominal strikers, the young Egyptian Hamza Abdelkarim may get a chance to prove himself. The teenager has had an excellent pre-season, scoring four goals and has every chance of starting against Elche. The management of the club is also working on optimizing the composition. It is expected that in the coming days, young players Mark Casado and Hector Fort will leave the team. Flick also does not rule out the possible departure of the leaders of the defense — Jules Kunde and Alejandro Balde (who are actively interested in Manchester United). "We will have to wait until the end of the transfer market. Balde has great quality, but for me another thing is important: do you have the conviction to fight for your position? I need everyone who is 100% committed to the team," concluded the German specialist.