According to a report, Barcelona president Joan Laporta plans to base his campaign for the 2026 club elections on building a team around Atletico Madrid’s striker, Julian Alvarez.

Laporta intends to run again in 2026 and believes in attracting voters with a transfer promise. Previously, he was rumored to suggest a move for Manchester City’s striker, Erling Haaland, before Haaland renewed his contract with the club.

The striker position is expected to be a major focus in 2026, as the current lead striker, Robert Lewandowski, will be nearing 38 years old. Though there are no doubts about the Polish international’s performance—evidenced by his 40 goals in 48 matches across all events—there is an understanding that his peak years are limited.

Putting all the pieces together, MARCA state Laporta plans to build his next election bid around Alvarez, who was on the radar last year before Atletico snatched him away from City in a deal worth a whopping (€95m) £81.5m instead.

Barcelona had no chance of rivalling those finances last year but Laporta has focused his current presidency on restoring the club’s financial power and there is hope that, by the time 2026 arrives, they may be in a position to bid for players like Alvarez.

Signing the 25-year-old from Atletico, where he is under contract until 2030, is likely to be far more difficult than luring Alvarez away from City was, however, and Laporta recognises the significant effort which will have to be made to land his signature.

Alvarez, for his part, is thought to be delighted with his decision to join Atletico, where he hopes to take his game to the next level and become one of the game’s top strikers.

The Argentina international has 27 goals from 50 games in his first season, dovetailing perfectly alongside former Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann in Diego Simeone’s attack.