Barcelona have thrown almost all their weight since last January behind signing Argentine striker Julian Alvarez. But the complications in the deal with Atletico Madrid leave the club facing a genuine problem at centre-forward, especially with the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.
Spanish newspaper "AS" reported today, Saturday, that Barcelona face a difficult situation if the Alvarez deal collapses. The need for a striker capable of scoring more than 30 goals has become a pressing priority, and the alternatives on the table do not look straightforward.
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Several names have emerged as alternative options: Lautaro Martinez, the Inter Milan star, Georges Mikautadze, the Villarreal striker, and Vangelis Pavlidis, the Benfica centre-forward, along with Mikel Oyarzabal of Real Sociedad.
Each of these options carries question marks, whether over their financial value or the difficulty of persuading their clubs to let them go.
Lautaro looks the hardest option in financial terms. The Argentine scored 27 goals last season and ranks among Europe's most prominent strikers in recent years, with an estimated value of around 85 million euros according to "Transfermarkt". Inter do not seem prepared to give him up, "AS" add.
Despite the difficulty of the situation, sporting director Deco still holds a reserve of trust within Barcelona thanks to a number of his previous moves, such as signing Dani Olmo and Joan Garcia, along with the success of loan deals for Marcus Rashford and Joao Cancelo.
With the start of the season approaching, Barca now face one of their toughest tests. They made Alvarez their primary target long ago without securing a clear alternative should the deal for the Atletico striker fall through.