Several Spanish outlets report that, with the Catalans in such a desperate position, Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi has also emerged as a target for Hansi Flick and co.
After Robert Lewandowski left for Chicago Fire and Ferran Torres joined Paris Saint-Germain, the LaLiga giants still do not have a single genuine No 9 under contract. Barca have already been knocked back by all of their previous top targets.
Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez was initially seen as the preferred solution, but the Rojiblancos quickly shut that idea down. Club representatives repeatedly made it clear they had no intention whatsoever of allowing the Argentine to join the Catalans.
Now, Atletico could in principle let the 26-year-old leave, provided a club meets the minimum €150 million fee reported by The Athletic, but the Madrid side still categorically rule out a move to Barcelona.
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martienz was another fellow Argentine Barca looked at, but that chase also quickly went nowhere. After Inter's Serie A opening win last weekend, Nerazzurri president Beppe Marotta delivered an emphatic rejection of Barcelona's reported interest.
"Lautaro is our captain, he embodies the current history of Inter. And so I can assure you that there are absolutely no grounds for him leaving Inter. We absolutely do not want to and under no circumstances will we do without Lautaro; people should not even talk about it," Marotta told DAZN.
Getty ImagesCan Barcelona afford Nicolo Tresoldi?
Barca are unlikely to get Tresoldi on the cheap. The 22-year-old German-Italian, who was also linked at times with Borussia Dortmund during the current transfer window, is under contract at Brugge until 2029.
The striker has started the season brilliantly, scoring four goals in his first four competitive matches. That means the Belgians are unlikely to ask for a low fee. Whether Barca, who are short of cash, could raise that kind of money remains doubtful.
Germany view Tresoldi as a major talent who could solve the DFB team's long-term striker problem. The 22-year-old has made 32 appearances for Germany's youth teams, but has not yet received a senior call-up. The forward is also eligible to play for Italy.