Barcelona Targets Club Brugge Striker Nicolo Tresoldi
FC Barcelona’s search for a new centre-forward has taken a sharp turn, and the spotlight has swung onto Belgium.
According to COPE journalist Victor Navarro, Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi has emerged as a serious option for the No. 9 role at Barça, with the German U21 international said to be “very, very much liked” by the club’s hierarchy.
The shift comes straight after the definitive collapse of the Blaugrana’s pursuit of Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez. Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has closed the door on any move, forcing Barça to abandon a long-running objective at the top of their attacking wishlist.
With that path blocked, Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco have moved quickly. The need for a central striker is non-negotiable, and the club have accelerated their work on alternative targets.
Lautaro Martínez of Inter Milan has emerged as the consensus first choice. The La Liga champions are ready to push hard for the Argentine, seeing him as the ideal reference point up front.
But they know the market rarely bends perfectly to plan. That is where Tresoldi enters the frame. The 21-year-old is one of the leading alternatives on the table and is highly rated within the club’s technical structure.
A breakout star in Belgium
Tresoldi first announced himself at Hannover 96, but it is in Belgium that his reputation has exploded.
Since joining Club Brugge in the summer of 2025, his rise has been rapid and emphatic. In his debut 2025/26 season, he played a decisive role in delivering the Belgian Pro League title to Jan Breydel Stadium, racking up 23 goals and 9 assists in all competitions.
He has not eased off.
The 2026/27 campaign has started in the same ruthless fashion: three goals in three games, a continuation of the form that has turned him into one of Europe’s most dangerous young finishers. For a club like Barcelona, constantly scanning the continent for the next elite No. 9, those numbers are impossible to ignore.
The price of potential
There is, however, a hard edge to the story. Tresoldi only joined Brugge last summer and signed a long-term deal that runs until 2039.
That contract changes everything.
Prising the Germany U21 international away from the Belgian champions will be anything but straightforward. Club Brugge are in a strong negotiating position and are demanding a fee in excess of €40 million. They have already turned down a substantial offer from AS Roma earlier in the window, a clear message that they will not be rushed or pressured into a sale.
Barcelona know the profile they want. Lautaro remains the dream. But if the market closes around their primary target, Tresoldi stands ready as a compelling, costly, and very modern alternative to lead the line at Montjuïc and, in time, at the new Camp Nou.
