Barcelona told not to sign sought after forwards owing to unsuitable playing style

Barcelona have been told not pursue moves for Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Braut Haaland and Kylian Mbappe by former Barcelona hero Albert Ferrer. The former right-back feels the aforementioned duo do not suit the Catalan club's playing style, but insisted that signing a forward should be a priority in the upcoming transfer window.

Ronald Koeman's team lost the El Clasico on Sunday 2-1 to Real Madrid, with the club's current forwards Ansu Fati and Memphis Depay failing to impress. Sergio Aguero got a late consolation goal, but it was clear that Barcelona are missing a clear threat in front of goal.

Barcelona have been linked with a move for Mbappe in recent weeks with the Paris Saint-Germain striker's contract expiring in 2022. The Frenchman is widely expected to leave the Ligue 1 giants with Spain expected to be his next destination.

Haaland has also been on the radar of the Camp Nou outfit after his father Alf-Inge visited the club over discussions over a potential summer move in 2022. But the Dortmund marksman's £64 million valuation and the hefty wages on demand are likely to be out of Barcelona's reach owing to their ongoing financial difficulties.

However, Ferrer feels that Barcelona should go in a different direction to solve their striker situation owing to their possession-based playing style. He is certain that they have to replace the goals they lost following the departures of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi in the last two seasons.

"If you look at the big clubs, most of them have a top forward who scores 20 goals every season. This is something Barca are missing," Ferrer told the Mirror. "Let's see how it goes with Memphis Depay but he's not really a No.9. Don't forget, Barca lost Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in two years. That's an average of 50 goals per season."

"To realistically win things they possibly need a top striker. But you must consider the way they play is very particular. They will always have around 70% of possession, and that means the opponents will sit back and not leave any space."

"I'm not saying that Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland wouldn't fit in, but they may not play the game they feel comfortable with - running into space against a high defence," he added.

Barcelona dropped to ninth place in La Liga table following their El Clasico loss. They are currently six points behind table toppers Real Sociedad, who have played a game more. The Catalan club's arch rivals Real are in second place, just a point behind the leaders with a game in hand.