Barcelona are closing in on Gabriel Jesus. The Arsenal forward is set to join for 10 million euros in a swift deal that has the blessing of coach Hansi Flick.
The move hands Flick a genuine out-and-out striker before Barcelona open their Champions League campaign against Feyenoord. It fills the one gap that hurt most after Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres departed.
According to Spanish newspaper "Sport", Jesus's arrival does not close the door on another target Barcelona have chased for weeks: Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez.
Atletico's stance, Barcelona concede, makes any deal before the current window shuts impossible. So the Catalans have chosen to hold fire.
They will try again in January, when the winter market reopens and the landscape may look very different.
Rather than pile pressure on a stubborn Atletico in the closing days of the window, Barcelona have stepped back.
Backing off now is not the same as walking away. Julian Alvarez remains a priority for the project, and the club wants that door left ajar over the coming months.
Four months can change everything, Barcelona believe. Atletico's results, the bond between Julian and the Madrid supporters and, above all, the player's own wishes will decide whether the file can be reopened in January.
January, then, becomes the next test. Either the wall Atletico have built stays impenetrable, or the passing months finally carve out a path to Barcelona's wish.
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