Barcelona Pause Julián Álvarez Pursuit as Deco Searches for No.9
Barcelona have hit pause on their push for Julián Álvarez and turned their radar to other strikers in the final days of the window, sources have told ESPN.
The Argentine remains the name circled in red at the top of Barça’s list. That has not changed. Nor has the club completely closed the door on him. A return attempt, even as early as January, is not being ruled out. But for now, reality has intervened.
Atlético Madrid have simply refused to play ball.
The Spanish club are standing firm: Álvarez is not for sale. Not even after the forward told ESPN publicly that he wants to leave in search of a new challenge. Barcelona had hoped those words might crack Atlético’s resolve. They haven’t. A source admits that, barring a “radical” late twist, the deal is off the table this month.
Deco, boxed in by Atlético’s stance and Barça’s financial limits, has been forced back to the drawing board.
Flick pushes for a No.9, club split on need
Inside the club, the debate is clear. Hansi Flick wants a striker. A proper No.9. He sees the exits of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres as gaps that must be filled if Barcelona are to defend their title with authority.
Others at the club are not so sure.
Senior figures argue that the squad already carries enough firepower and flexibility to cope without a classic centre-forward. For them, the solution is internal, not on the market.
Flick is not short of names he can shuffle into the role. Raphinha, Karim Adeyemi, Anthony Gordon and even Lamine Yamal are all viewed as options to operate through the middle if required. Fermín López and Dani Olmo have experience as false nines, giving Flick the chance to lean into a more fluid front line.
Right now, the only natural striker who has travelled with the squad in preseason is 18-year-old Egypt international Hamza Abdelkarim. Talented, yes. But raw, and a world away from the ready-made reference point Flick has been asking for.
Targets fall away as market tightens
Barcelona’s search has not been short on ideas; it has been short on attainable ones.
Álvarez was always the priority. ESPN revealed earlier this year that Barça had made him their main target and, this summer, they saw an offer of around €100 million knocked back. That figure underlined how far they were prepared to go. It still wasn’t enough.
Other avenues have closed just as quickly. The club explored moves earlier in the window for João Pedro and Junior Kroupi. Those doors have slammed shut. João Pedro has committed his future with a new contract at Chelsea, while Bournemouth’s Kroupi faces up to four months out with a foot injury, ruling him out as an immediate solution.
As the days tick down, more names have been thrown into the conversation. Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martínez and Sporting CP’s Luis Suárez have both been linked. On paper, both fit the profile. On the balance sheet, neither does. The costs involved are described as prohibitive for now.
One source says Barça have tracked Benjamin Sesko “for years”, monitoring his development closely. At this stage, though, prising the Manchester United attacker away is viewed as impossible. Another dream parked, at least for this window.
Villarreal duo enter frame
The search has also turned domestic. Villarreal pair Ayoze Pérez and Georges Mikautadze have been discussed internally. A source says Barcelona have been particularly impressed by Mikautadze’s data and his performances since arriving in Spain, with his numbers catching the eye of the recruitment team.
Names keep coming. Doors keep closing.
For Deco and Flick, the clock is now as much an opponent as any rival in LaLiga. Barcelona still want a No.9. The coach insists on it. The market, and their budget, may yet insist on something else.
