Barcelona Targets Karim Adeyemi for Summer Rebuild
Barcelona’s summer rebuild has a new name at the top of the whiteboard: Karim Adeyemi.
The Spanish champions have lodged an offer with Borussia Dortmund for the 24-year-old forward as they accelerate plans to reshape Hansi Flick’s attack for next season, a source has told ESPN. The move is part of a broader, aggressive overhaul of the front line rather than a one-off opportunity.
Adeyemi in the crosshairs
Adeyemi is under contract at Dortmund until 2027, but Barça believe there is a window to prise him away for a reduced fee in this window. They have already thrashed out a loose agreement with the player on personal terms, signalling clear intent from both sides.
The hard part remains. Negotiations with Dortmund are ongoing, with the source stressing the deal is “not imminent” and “nothing has been signed.” For now, it sits in that familiar transfer limbo: advanced enough to be serious, not advanced enough to be called done.
Barcelona see Adeyemi as a solution to a very specific problem. Flick wants more variety and depth across the front line, and the German international’s ability to operate anywhere across the attack offers a different flavour to what is already in the squad. His profile does not mirror Lamine Yamal, Raphinha or Anthony Gordon; it complements them.
Separate track to the No. 9 hunt
This is not the marquee centre-forward chase. Inside the club, the Adeyemi push runs on a separate track to the search for a new No. 9, where Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez remains the priority target.
President Joan Laporta has already gone public on Barça’s bid for Álvarez, while the Argentine has made it clear he wants to leave Atlético. That saga will rumble on. In the meantime, Barcelona are trying to make sure that, when the central striker finally arrives, he does not find a thin, predictable cast around him.
The need is obvious. Flick, who requested a shake-up of the attack after back-to-back LaLiga titles, has already seen the old guard and stopgaps move on. Robert Lewandowski has left for Chicago Fire on a free transfer. Marcus Rashford has returned to Manchester United after his loan spell. Ferran Torres is running into the final year of his deal, and Roony Bardghji is another who could depart.
Those exits rip experience and goals out of the squad. They also create opportunity.
Gordon in, more to come
Barcelona have already struck one major deal, bringing in England forward Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United in a €70 million move. His arrival adds pace, direct running and goals from the flank, but it has not cooled the club’s pursuit of more attacking reinforcements.
The thinking is clear: if Barça are to keep winning titles while evolving under Flick, they need an attack that can rotate, press, and stretch teams in different ways over a long season. One new signing does not solve that. Adeyemi, if Dortmund can be persuaded to sell, would push the rebuild into a new phase.
Adeyemi’s Dortmund chapter
Adeyemi built his reputation at Red Bull Salzburg before joining Dortmund in 2022. Since then, he has become a regular presence in the Bundesliga and in Europe, giving defenders persistent problems with his speed and movement.
Across four seasons with the German side, he has made 146 appearances and scored 36 goals. Last season he found the net 10 times in 39 games in all competitions, numbers that underline his threat without yet marking him as a finished product. For a club like Barcelona, that mix of proven quality and room to grow is part of the attraction.
He would not arrive as the main star, nor as a pure winger in the mould of Lamine Yamal or Raphinha. He would arrive as a versatile, pressing forward who can attack space, switch flanks, and adjust to Flick’s demands. A different angle in an attack that has too often looked one-paced and predictable.
For now, the deal sits in negotiation, with Dortmund holding a player on a long contract and Barcelona pushing to turn interest into agreement. The champions have made their move. The question is whether Dortmund blink, or whether Adeyemi’s name becomes just another what-if in a summer where Barça are determined to change the face of their forward line.
