Barça narrow down the choices to FOUR in their hunt for a new striker
Willian José, Lucas Perez, Loren Moron and Angel Rodriguez are on the shortlist to replace Ousmane Dembele
If Ousmane Dembele's injury is as bad as Barça expects, the club would be allowed to sign an emergency replacement for him when it comes to domestic competitions. Any substitute for the French winger would have to come from LaLiga.
Willian Jose is currently top of the shortlist. The Real Sociedad forward, who was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, would be the most expensive option. Lucas Perez (Alaves) and Loren Moron (Real Betis) are potential alternatives.
In the case of Willian Jose, his representatives have pushed for the move and hope an agreement can be struck which suits all parties. La Real, who would be unable to replace the striker until the summer, say they'd want €70m - his buyout clause.
Willian knows Quique Setien from the time they spent together at Las Palmas and even tried to sign the forward when he was at Betis. However a move, due to the prices mentioned, appears unlikely.
Loren a genuine option
One player who is ticking all the boxes at the minute is Loren Moron. The Betis forward has lost his place in the XI to Borja Iglesias and only has a buyout clause of €40m. Barça are confident they could negotiate a deal and, if it didn't work out, still not lose money if they chose to sell him again in the summer.
And then there's Lucas Perez. A more experienced option but also a much cheaper one. His buyout clause is around €15m and Alaves are unlikely to accept less, especially as they'd be losing one of their star players. Perez struggled to adapt to the surroundings at a big club when he joined Arsenal and, at 31, might not be seen as a viable option.
A move for Angel hasn't been ruled out
Another experienced LaLiga forward, this time for Getafe, is Angel Rodriguez. Recently it's been reported that a move for Angel had been ruled out but the club insists he remains on their radar. His buyout clause is lower than all the rest, sitting at just €9m, and he would provide backup to Griezmann.
Catalunya Radio added Mallorca's Budimir to the list after his impressive start to the season.
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