Hansi Flick is a strong admirer of Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy and wants to bring him to Barcelona, according to a new report from Bild.
With Robert Lewandowski likely headed for an exit next summer, there
is an expectation that the Blaugrana will move to sign a striker. After previous rumors linking the Catalan club to the likes of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez, the Guinean forward is the latest to join the list.
Over the past few seasons, Guirassy has established himself as one of the best center-forwards in the European top five leagues. During the 2024-2025 campaign, his first with The Black and Yellow, Guirassy scored 21 goals in 30 league appearances, finishing second behind only Harry Kane in the race for the top scorer award.
On the European stage, Guirassy put together a stellar 2024-2025 campaign in the Champions League, scoring 13 goals, five of which came against the Blaugrana, in 14 appearances, a tally only equalled by Barcelona’s Raphinha.
Who is Serhou Guirassy?
Name: Serhou Yadaly Guirassy
Date of birth: 12 March 1996 (age 29)
Citizenship: Guinean
Height: 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Preferred foot: Right
Position: Striker
Born in Arles, France, to Guinean parents, Guirassy came up through the ranks of various lower-division clubs in France’s Pays de la Loire region before making a move to Ligue 1’s Lille in 2015.
After back-and-forth transfers between Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, Guirassy’s breakout came during the 2023-2024 season, playing for VFB Stuttgart. The Guinean international scored 28 goals in as many games, marking the biggest xG overperformance (7.15) in the league that season, per Opta, and breaking the club record of most goals in a league campaign, previously held by Mario Gòmez.
A Complete Box Presence
The first thing that stands out about Guirassy’s profile is his versatility inside the box. Dortmund’s #9 can punish defenses in many ways.
In the air, his timing and height often allow him to outjump defenders and get on the end of crosses. Per Fotmob, Guirassy won an impressive 114 aerial duels during the 2024-2025 Bundesliga season at a 54% rate, placing him in the 95th percentile among Bundesliga center-forwards.
In these instances, Guirassy consistently places his headers with power and precision. This season, two of his four league goals so far have come from headers, the first of which came against St Pauli.
The first thing that stands out about Guirassy’s profile is his versatility inside the box. Dortmund’s #9 can punish defenses in many ways.
In the air, his timing and height often allow him to outjump defenders and get on the end of crosses. Per Fotmob, Guirassy won an impressive 114 aerial duels during the 2024-2025 Bundesliga season at a 54% rate, placing him in the 95th percentile among Bundesliga center-forwards.
In these instances, Guirassy consistently places his headers with power and precision. This season, two of his four league goals so far have come from headers, the first of which came against St Pauli.
With the ball at his feet, Guirassy is surprisingly agile considering his 6ft2 frame. Even in congested spaces, he can take small touches to catch defenders off guard and create shooting angles on either foot.
Once in a shooting position, Guirassy is as efficient as they come. In the last Champions League season, an outstanding 32% of his shot attempts resulted in goals, per Opta.Guirassy’s movement is another standout feature. In crossing situations, he will often use clever fake runs to create gaps in the opponent’s defense, and then position himself to rack in uncontested tap-ins.
Against less conservative blocks, Guirassy is also a willing runner, constantly offering dangerous runs into the space behind the defense. Though he is not the quickest, Guirassy’s sense of timing often allows him to catch defenses off guard.
A Seamless Fit?
When analysing Guirassy’s strengths, it is easy to understand why Flick is, reportedly, keen to add him to the Blaugrana side.
Guirassy is a complete striker with a proven track record of putting the ball in the back of the net. His skill set would nicely complement some players’ in Barcelona’s front line, most notably Lamine Yamal’s, with his outstanding crossing ability.
From a system perspective, the Guinean has extensive experience playing as a lone striker in both 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 setups, Flick’s two go-to shapes so far as the Barcelona manager.
Guirassy is comfortable serving as a traditional target man, but can also drop deeper to open space for his teammates. His generous work rate out of possession is also worth pointing out, particularly in context with Flick’s preferred high-pressing style.
In many ways, Guirassy’s profile is quite similar to the player he could be replacing, Barcelona center-forward Robert Lewandowski, a similarity pointed out by former Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin.
“He has a similar profile to Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane”, he told Sport Bild. “They are not only defined by their goals, but also change the statics of the game. They know when to drop, how to create links on the pitch.”
As far as areas of improvement, Guirassy’s low assist figures (2 in the past league campaign) could be something to monitor. The striker has shown flashes of effective link-up play on occasions, but more consistency would be key to take his associative play to the next level.
The Sensible Financial Choice?
An important factor to consider with a potential Guirassy transfer is the relatively cheaper cost. Other rumored Lewandowski replacements, such as Haaland and Alvarez, would undoubtedly cost exorbitant amounts.
With uncertainty still surrounding the Blaugrana’s return to Camp Nou, there is no guarantee that Barcelona will be in a position to afford their services. Guirassy, on the other hand, would probably be a fraction of their price tag.
While there have been previous reports of Dortmund fixing a 100m price tag for clubs seeking to sign Guirassy, Sky has reported a special release clause in the €60-75m range, available to a few select clubs, including Barcelona.
So while the Guinean striker probably would not be as exciting a signing as other targets, this eventuality, for now, is the most pragmatic.
Ultimately, as has been customary for the past few transfer windows, visibility on Barcelona’s next summer plans will likely remain limited until the end of the season. Until then, the rumors will keep swirling.
