Meeting at Barcelona on Monday as No.9 search nears its end

It's a key week at FC Barcelona. The club want to close the No.9 situation and on Monday there will be a meeting between Pep Segura, Eric Abidal, Ramon Planes and Ernesto Valverde to take a decision. 

After Munir's move to Sevilla, Barça have been looking for a backup for Luis Suarez. The requirements are clear. The forward must know LaLiga, accept a rotation role and not cost too much. 

The two main favourites were Alvaro Morata and Carlos Vela. The Spanish striker preferred the option to move to Atletico Madrid, where he believes he will get mor minutes. As for the Mexican, Barça had last minute doubts. He's not played for two months due to the off season in MLS. 

Valverde will have a lot of sway in the decision. As he did with defender Jeison Murillo. Now, he's asked for Girona's Stuani. However, the Uruguayan's 15 million euros release clause is prohibitive. Other options include Ighalo, Bakambu, Piatek, Jovic and Maxi Gómez, but they have all, save a late twist, been ruled out for different reasons. 

In Monday's meeting a final call will be made. Valverde wants someone he can use now. The club don't want to sign for the sake of signing and haven't ruled out signing no one. With the loss of Munir, Lionel Messi has played as a forward and he's shown that he's also the best in that position. 

Barça will not find a better forward than Messi and they're aware of that as they continue to comb the market for alternatives.