Barcelona Sets Deadline for Alvarez as Striker Search Narrows
Barcelona have ticked off one major item on their summer to‑do list with the signing of Rodri. Two big gaps remain: centre-back and centre-forward. Right now, only one of those keeps the sporting department awake at night.
All roads lead to the No. 9.
Alvarez hesitation tests Barça’s patience
Julian Alvarez wants Barcelona. That much is clear. The Argentine is keen on a move to Catalonia and is scheduled to sit down with Atletico Madrid’s hierarchy later this week to discuss his future.
Wanting it and forcing it, though, are two very different things.
Alvarez has not shown the steel to openly push for an exit that Atletico have no intention of approving. Diego Simeone underlined that stance earlier today, stating plainly that the striker will not leave. It was a public message as much as an internal one.
Inside Barça, the clock is now part of the negotiation.
According to Victor Navarro, sporting director Deco is already preparing to pivot to alternative targets but has decided to give Alvarez a final window. If there is no concrete movement on the player’s side by Saturday, Barcelona will start to move decisively on other fronts.
Work in the background has already begun. Contacts, scenarios, financial frameworks – all are being lined up so that, once the weekend arrives, the club can pull the trigger without losing more time.
The key moment comes midweek, when Alvarez meets Atletico’s top brass. Optimism around Barça is thin. The sense is simple: if the player does not push now, he never will.
A thin striker market – and a new name
The problem for Barcelona is that the centre-forward market is painfully short on realistic, high-level options.
Sporting’s Luis Suarez briefly flashed up as a possible solution earlier this week, his profile and potential fee sparking curiosity in the Catalan offices. Those links were quickly cooled, with indications that the rumour carried little real weight.
So the search continued. And a fresh candidate has now surged into focus.
In recent hours, Villarreal striker Georges Mikautadze has emerged as a serious target. His name has been pushed to the top of the backup list as Barça brace for the possibility that the Alvarez operation stalls for good.
For Deco and his team, the equation is now brutally clear: either Alvarez forces Atletico’s hand before the weekend, or Barcelona turn the page and start building their attack around a different No. 9.
