When the chances of signing Julián Álvarez began to fade, Barcelona widened their net and went looking for alternatives who could reinforce the out-and-out striker role.
Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres had both left, so the Catalan side needed goalscoring power. They had already started moving to find it.
Gabriel Jesus eventually arrived as a genuine opportunity, but between Álvarez and the Brazilian the club ran the rule over several other names.
The newspaper Sport reported that one of those was Nicolò Tresoldi. The Club Brugge star surfaced as an unexpected option after being linked with Barcelona in the final weeks of the window.
Barcelona's sporting management, led by Deco, once again showed a knack for spotting talent. Tresoldi was one of the most prominent emerging strikers in the Belgian league last season, and he topped Club Brugge's scoring charts with 23 goals and 9 assists. Impressive numbers.
Beyond the statistics, he stood out for his ability to play collectively and link up between the lines. That trait fits Barcelona's philosophy and style perfectly.
Signing him would have been a gamble, though. He still lacked experience at the highest level.
Yet Tresoldi keeps developing at pace, and every indicator points the same way. Season after season, his name looks set to climb among the leading talents in European football.
Look no further than his start to this campaign. In a Club Brugge shirt, Tresoldi has already racked up 5 goals in 9 matches.
It does not stop there. The striker keeps delivering for the Germany under-21 team, earning a call-up during the current international break, and he has already begun to enter the thinking of Jürgen Klopp, the Germany senior boss, for the upcoming matches.
Transfermarkt put Tresoldi's current market value at 25 million euros, a figure that reflects his rise. Keep producing at this level and it will only climb further.
Steady and progressing, the German striker looks destined for a bigger role in European football. His name has already been linked with Barcelona, and on current form, do not expect the continent's major clubs to stop talking about him.