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Barcelona sporting director Deco has added fresh fuel to transfer speculation in the closing days of the window.

Barcelona celebrated a 2-1 victory over Al-Ahli in the traditional summer Gamper Trophy in a festive atmosphere. At Camp Nou, however, attention was not limited to events on the pitch because, immediately after the match, Deco and head coach Hansi Flick also addressed the media. Both outlined the club's next steps for a transfer window in which the Blaugrana are once again expected to be key players, particularly in attack.

On Rodri, Deco said Barcelona are not operating in the market simply to take players away from Real.

"We are happy with everyone. Every signing we have made has a purpose. Before bringing in anyone, we discussed it thoroughly before taking a decision. Rodri was not in our plans at first because we believed he was not available. When the chance came up, we moved straight away and succeeded, just as we did with Gordon, Adeyemi, Bisiwu and Cancelo. Everything has a purpose: to improve the team, and Rodri improves it. We do not sign players to take them away from Real, that would be a mistake."

Deco also admitted that replacing Robert Lewandowski will be far from simple.

"Two players have left, Ferran and Robert (Lewandowski). We can cover the space left by Ferran with the new arrivals, but replacing Robert is very difficult. Even if we found a good player, it would still be complicated because he has defined an era for us. We have internal solutions, but we will certainly make some moves. It is about finding the best solution. We are working to understand what we can do between now and the end of the season."

Flick, meanwhile, also made it clear after the match that Barcelona want a centre-forward.

"Yes, we are looking for a striker, a number 9. Deco has been doing a great job for a long time. I hope and strongly believe that a deal will happen. I believe in Deco's work."