Hansi Flick has admitted Barcelona may end the summer transfer window without a new striker, should their pursuit of Julian Alvarez continue to be rebuffed by Atletico Madrid, though the coach insisted he remains fully confident in his existing squad.

Atletico have so far refused to sell the 2022 World Cup winner, who missed training on Wednesday due to illness, with Barcelona president Joan Laporta reportedly holding an "Alvarez or nobody" stance on the club's forward line.

Flick declined to discuss the Argentine directly, choosing instead to focus on the business already completed. "I don't want to speak about Julian. I only want to speak about the situation of the club. We made some really good transfers now in this market," he said.

The German coach acknowledged the balancing act between short term needs and long term planning facing the club.

"Our goal is clear, but in the end also the club has to think about the future, not only the present now," he said.

Barcelona's attacking options have been reshaped this summer, with Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres both departing while wingers Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi arrived instead.

Egyptian teenager Hamza Abdelkarim remains the club's only recognised centre forward, though he is yet to make his official debut having impressed in pre season.

Barcelona opened their league campaign with a 5-0 win over Elche, deploying Raphinha through the middle in the absence of a specialist striker.

Flick suggested he may lean on that flexibility again this season, with Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Gordon and Adeyemi all capable of filling the role.

"Of course we have to manage something, we have to maybe find solutions for some situations and some games, but the quality we have now is huge," Flick said, praising the broader direction of the club under sporting director Deco.

"For me the club is doing a great job. Deco is doing a great job. We're looking at the future, not just for this moment but we're looking at the next three, four, five years. I think the club is stabilised and this is what we all want," he added.

Barcelona host Athletic Bilbao on Thursday, a fixture that should see new midfield signing Rodri make his first appearance for the club, most likely from the bench.

Flick confirmed the former Manchester City midfielder would be part of the squad and expressed excitement over pairing him alongside Pedri.

"Rodri has more experience, he's totally a leader. With Pedri they can control the ball, control the game, control the opponent," Flick said.