After a horrid start under Ronald Koeman, Barcelona turned it around fully under club legend Xavi. They are now safely in the top four, they will play Champions League football next year, and Barca won the El Clasico, away from home, 4-0. Still, they are a long way from competing with the likes of Manchester City, PSG, Chelsea, and Liverpool, to name a few. To help them get there, here are three moves Barcelona must make in the 2022 summer transfer window.

3 Barcelona summer transfer targets

Signing a striker (e.g. Jonathan David) 

Right now, the striker situation in the club is not ideal. Of course, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined in the January window, and while he has been great, he can be inconsistent. Other options include Memphis Depay, who had a great start but fell off gradually, and Martin Braithwaite, a player that cannot be in the rotation of a team challenging in Europe. Also, there is Luuk de Jong, but his future is still uncertain. To really get up there with the best of the best, Barcelona needs to sign a striker. Unfortunately, Sergio Aguero had to retire due to heart issues, but there are options out there. The best one? Jonathan David.

The 22-year-old US-born Canadian striker is a certified stud for French outfit Lille. He has bagged 17 goals this season, a four-goal increase on his tally from last year when he won the league with Lille. He also helped Canada qualify for their first World Cup since 1986 and overall scored 20 in 30 appearances for his national side. He is a clinical, but skillful striker that would be great for Barcelona. Unfortunately, there is a lot of interest for the Canadian, so he might come for a hefty price. However, Barcelona would be buying a very young, but experienced player, who has already tasted senior football success with an underdog in Lille.

Signing a left-back (e.g. Marcos Alonso) 

The story of the left side of Barcelona's defense is well-documented by now. Jordi Alba is still great at times, but he is 33 and while he will give some moments of magic, Alba will likely fall off as time goes on. In terms of youth products for that left side, Alejandro Balde made his debut this season, but his injury issues have been an issue. Therefore, there needs to be a placeholder until a permanent solution is found, so Barcelona needs to sign a left-back this offseason. There are a fair amount of options, including taking Valencia's left-back, just like they did with Alba in 2012. However, Jose Gaya is not the best available option for them.

By far, the best option would be Marcos Alonso from Chelsea. His contract expires in 2024 and there are already talks of him potentially leaving this summer, as there are reportedly no extension talks scheduled with the Spaniard yet. Alonso is a bit older, but as said above, Barcelona needs a placeholder, so the 31-year-old Alonso should do fine. They will likely be a transition team for at least one more season, so a guy like Alonso and his endless experience could be pivotal for the extremely young Barcelona squad. It would be another Champions League winner in the squad and a recent one, so Barcelona would benefit tons from this transfer specifically.

Signing a huge name (e.g. Robert Lewandowski

Right now, what Barcelona needs most is revenue. After the terrible financial situation left by the previous board, the new president Joan Laporta has done a good job of keeping things going, but to remain at the European top, they need more. In terms of revenue, nothing brings revenue like a huge star. Without much money at their disposal, they have limited options. Obviously, Erling Haaland is gone to Manchester City, while Kylian Mbappe is likely to go to Real Madrid. With the two biggest options gone, Barcelona could go in the direction of bringing disgruntled Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski to Catalonia.

As reported, the contract situation of Lewandowski might see him leave the Bavarian club after eight years at the club. Given the fact that Lewa is a star and Barcelona needs a star and might get this one as cheap as possible, Lewandowski needs to be at the top of the list of all Barca executives. While Lewandowski is not on the level of Haaland or Mbappe in terms of popularity, he would still be the biggest star in the Barcelona roster as it is set up currently. His signing would definitely increase shirt sales and get more revenue for a club that sorely needs just that.