As the champagne corks stop popping and the open-top bus returns to the garage, Barcelona's attention has already turned to next season. While Hansi Flick's side celebrated back-to-back La Liga titles—a welcome return to domestic dominance after five turbulent years with just one league trophy—the real prize remains just out of reach.

Winning the Champions League for the first time since 2015 is Barcelona's burning ambition. It's the trophy that would prove they're back at Europe's top table, a status they haven't fully claimed since Lionel Messi's departure. This season's league title, while impressive, actually represents a slight step back from last year's domestic treble and Champions League semi-final run.

With young stars Lamine Yamal and Pedri Gonzalez lighting up the pitch, many believed this would be the year Barcelona finally lifted their sixth European Cup. But the dream was cut short in the quarter-finals by domestic rivals Atletico Madrid, who edged past the Catalans 3-2 on aggregate. The defeat was a harsh reminder of how far they still have to go.

"There are two things I want in life," Flick admitted last week. "Firstly, that we win the Champions League. We have a good team for the next years, but we must make the right decisions in the transfer periods—they have to be perfect. The second thing is I want to be coach at Camp Nou when it's fully finished."

Improving the squad is the first step to matching European giants like Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. But as Flick hinted, Barcelona's financial situation leaves no room for error. Every euro counts, and the margin for mistakes is razor-thin.

This season exposed a lack of depth that proved costly. Key areas went unaddressed—like failing to replace Inigo Martinez after his move to Saudi Arabia, forcing left back Gerard Martin to fill in as a converted central defender. While Martin and Eric Garcia performed admirably, the squad was stretched to its limit, leading to frequent injury problems that derailed their European campaign.

For Barcelona, domestic dominance is no longer enough. The Champions League trophy is the ultimate measure of success, and the clock is ticking to build a squad capable of claiming it.