Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic is continuing to pursue a high-risk strategy in order to secure a move to Barcelona this summer.
According to Spanish newspaper "Sport", Vlahovic and those around him are watching developments in the Catalan club's market cautiously, convinced they still hold options to sign for Barcelona in the end.
For nearly a month now, the striker has been sitting on a huge financial offer from Besiktas. The Turkish club have put more than five million euros on the table as a signing bonus, plus an annual salary of eight million euros net across each of the two seasons he would sign. No other club can match it.
Vlahovic asked for a reasonable period to respond, then received a final ultimatum from Besiktas. Still the Serbian goalscorer wanted more time.
The deal hasn't fallen through yet because Besiktas's Italian coach, Vincenzo Italiano, urged his club's management to stay patient and calm. Italiano coached Vlahovic during his best spell at Fiorentina, and he is fully convinced the striker would make the difference for his side.
Barcelona were the first port of call. Vlahovic's representatives offered his services to the Catalan club at the start of the transfer market, but the response was blunt: he was not a priority. His demands didn't help, either, as he asked for a signing bonus of 10 million euros and a net annual salary of 8 million euros.
Barca ruled the option out completely because the sporting management and coach Hansi Flick always give priority to Argentine striker Julian Alvarez, and they will fight to sign him.
Over time, and after his final split from Juventus, Vlahovic has scaled back those demands. He has lowered his conditions in Barcelona's favour to fit the Catalan club's wage ceiling.
Even so, the Serbian must wait. His name is still on the table with no step forward from Barcelona, amid doubts over whether the club's management will move for him at all. They see a striker of high quality, but his recent physical problems and his style of play raise plenty of questions.
Hope, then, is all Vlahovic has left, and clinging to it carries obvious risk. Besiktas may pull their offer and leave him without a destination. The Turkish club have given him until 10 August, and for now he is gambling everything on a future that remains undecided.