Cristian Romero still has his heart set on Barcelona. The Tottenham Hotspur defender has refused to finalise a switch to Inter Milan, holding out for one last move from the Catalan club to seal the deal.
His representatives have kept the lines open with Barcelona's sporting management in recent weeks, convinced that late business could reshape the team's defensive line before the window shuts.
Romero sits on Barcelona's list. But they have already told him they will not move for his signature unless one of their current defenders or full-backs leaves first.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Sport", Inter Milan met Romero's agent at the end of last week and put a four-season deal on the table, with a salary slightly below what he earns at Tottenham but with extra years added to his contract.
Talks stalled on the player's side. No agreement was struck over the fee either, with the English club demanding 50 million euros despite their willingness to negotiate.
Tottenham are ready to let the Argentina international go, and the chances of a loan with an option to buy have even started to grow if the player keeps pushing to leave.
Unwilling to wait around, Inter Milan have for now agreed terms with John Stones, the Manchester City defender whose contract is running down.
That sends Romero a clear message: Inter will only sign him now if they can sell Pavard during the current window.
Everything ground to a halt once Romero made his desire to wait for Barcelona plain, following the interest Deco has shown in signing him.
Barcelona will not rule out reshaping their back line. Two routes are open to them. The first is to sign a top-class defender if one of their defenders or full-backs departs, with Araujo or Kounde the likeliest to go. The second is to chase a player with room to grow, ideally a left-footer.
The Salinas deal remains on Barcelona's table, but the Catalan club will not pay the 16 million euros Racing are asking.
Romero is preparing to take a pay cut so Barcelona can register him, and time may play into the Catalan club's hands too. Tottenham need to offload players, while the Argentine defender is due to report for training with the London side from 10 August.