Barcelona dealt transfer blow as German international prefers Bundesliga switch over Camp Nou transfer - Reports

RB Salzburg forward Karim Adeyemi reportedly prefers a move to the Bundesliga despite receiving interest from Barcelona.

According to Max Bielefield of Sky Sports Germany (via Barca Universal), Adeyemi is keen on joining Borussia Dortmund to further his development. Dortmund have downplayed links to the German international so far, but are likely to grab the opportunity to sign him should it arrive.

Adeyemi has scored 15 goals in 26 appearances for Salzburg, including three goals in five UEFA Champions League outings this season.

Adeyemi's reason for preferring a Bundesliga move has been put down to him wanting to become a starter for Germany at Euro 2024. The 19-year-old is in line to make it into Hansi Flick's squad for the FIFA World Cup 2022, but is unlikely to get too many minutes on the pitch.

Adeyemi reportedly believes a move to Barcelona could hamper his chances of being noticed by Flick, which would make it tougher to represent Die Mannschaft. Alternately, a move to the Bundesliga will give him the chance to impress the German head coach.

This speculation will, however, be a massive blow to Barcelona. The Catalan club are desperately in need of a striker having scored just 25 goals in 20 matches across all competitions this season.

Sergio Aguero and Martin Braithwaite are currently out injured with no return date set for either of them. Ansu Fati is also injured, though he is expected to return soon. The only senior striker Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has at his disposal is Luuk de Jong, who has flattered to deceive so far.

Consequently, the Catalans have had to deploy the likes of Memphis Depay and B-team forwards Abde Ezzalzouli and Ilias Akhomach as centre-forwards. However, the move has not worked out as expected, with Depay in particular struggling to perform to his full capacity in an unfamiliar position.

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Barcelona could look for cheap attacking options in the transfer market

Barcelona have been linked multiple times with Karim Adeyemi over the last month, but the move looks unlikely to go through. The Blaugrana are also reportedly monitoring Erling Haaland, but do not have the financial firepower to bring the Norwegian to the Camp Nou.

Barcelona are said to be working hard to find a way to sign Haaland, but could also look for cheaper options during the winter transfer window. Cedric Bakambu has recently been linked with a Bosman move to the club in January having terminated his contract with Beijing Guoan.

Another possible candidate is Alexandre Lacazette, who looks set to run down his Arsenal contract that expires in 2022. However, Barcelona will have to wait until the summer transfer window to sign Lacazette. The Frenchman has also been targeted by Atletico Madrid.