Barcelona under siege: Europe's giants wreck Flick's transfer dreams

Analyse the previous names and Barcelona are directly linked to only four players. First up is Julian Alvarez, coach Hansi Flick's main target this window to fill the void left by Robert Lewandowski. But Atletico Madrid are digging their heels in over any deal.

Vesnik Aslani sits second on the list, the man Barcelona may turn to should the Alvarez pursuit collapse. Leipzig want him too, which means the financial battle will be anything but simple.

Junior Krupi looks the least likely of the lot. The management are split over signing him, though Flick has given his blessing so far.

Ferran Torres completes the quartet. He has yet to renew his contract despite entering his final year at "Spotify Camp Nou", and his future may hinge on whether Barcelona land Alvarez.

Most of the big clubs are chasing summer signings as a luxury, adding depth in specific positions. Take Paris Saint-Germain. They won't suffer at all after the collapse of the Diomande deal, and even if they miss out on Ferran Torres in the final days of the mercato, the first-choice and back-up names available to Luis Enrique let them compete for both the Ligue 1 and Champions League titles.

Look at Rodri being linked with Real Madrid. Despite the huge value the Manchester City star would add, Los Blancos already have Tchouaméni, who can play the same role, and they can deploy Eduardo Camavinga in similar positions too.

Arsenal tell the same story. They are competing with Barcelona for the Alvarez deal, yet they already boast Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, the names that carried the Gunners to the Premier League title and to the Champions League final.

Barcelona are different. They are hunting for a key piece they cannot go into the new season without if they want to keep competing in La Liga and finally land the elusive Champions League dream. Barca also lack the financial luxury to outbid a Premier League club for a deal.

Reports suggest Alvarez is the only name in Barcelona's mercato who would walk into the starting line-up at the Spotify Camp Nou. Asllani and Kroupi, by contrast, would have to earn trust once they pull on the Barca shirt, especially as neither has shone with a big club or national team.

Real Madrid pose an obstacle in Barcelona's pursuit of Alvarez every bit as awkward as Atletico Madrid. Los Blancos tangled up their historic rivals by lodging a 150 million euro bid for the Argentine striker.

Florentino Perez knew the offer would be rejected. But the Real Madrid president had a plan: the move slammed the door on Atletico accepting anything less than 150 million euros from Barcelona.

A domino effect now links the Alvarez deal to Vinicius Junior's future at the Bernabeu. Should the Brazilian winger join Arsenal, the Gunners would drop out of the race with Barca.

Real Madrid letting Vinicius Junior go this summer is hard to picture, though. That would leave Arsenal free to tighten their grip on Barcelona in the financial bidding for Alvarez.

Barcelona are haunted by the deals Paris Saint-Germain have pulled off from their ranks. The Neymar da Silva nightmare still stings. So does Ousmane Dembélé, whose move to the Parc des Princes proved a major turning point in his career.

Unwilling to risk losing Ferran Torres for free next January, Barcelona may well sanction his switch to Paris Saint-Germain. The forward enjoys a strong relationship with Luis Enrique, and he fears becoming a marginalised option in the new campaign.

All of this leaves Barcelona unable to guarantee, as things stand, that they will enter the new season with a top-class striker like Álvarez. They cannot even bank on a gamble as modest as Ferran Torres.