Barcelona pauses Julián Álvarez pursuit as Deco explores No.9 options
Barcelona have stepped back from an immediate move for Julián Álvarez and are now scouring the market for alternative strikers in the final stretch of the transfer window, sources have told ESPN.
The club have not abandoned the idea of signing the Argentina international altogether. A return for Álvarez, even as early as January, remains on the table. But Atlético Madrid’s firm refusal to negotiate has forced sporting director Deco to pivot and test other options.
Flick wants a No.9, the club is split
Hansi Flick has been clear since day one: he wants a recognised No.9 to offset the exits of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. The German coach views that position as non‑negotiable if Barça are to retain their cutting edge over a long season.
Inside the club, not everyone agrees.
Several influential figures argue that the squad already carries enough firepower and flexibility to cope without a classic centre-forward. For them, the solution is internal, not another expensive operation in a tight financial context.
Álvarez, though, has been the preferred choice for months. As ESPN revealed earlier this year, Barcelona made him their priority and backed that stance with a bid of around €100 million earlier in the summer. Atlético rejected it and have stayed unmoved since.
The former Manchester City forward even told ESPN publicly that he wants to leave, a statement Barça hoped would crack Atlético’s resolve. It hasn’t. According to a source, the Catalan club now accept that, barring a “radical” late twist, this is not a deal that will happen before the window closes.
Internal solutions vs market realities
Flick still wants a No.9, even if it is not Álvarez. The debate now turns on how bold Barça are prepared to be.
Some at the club point to the versatility already in the dressing room. Raphinha, Karim Adeyemi, Anthony Gordon and even Lamine Yamal are all seen as players who can operate through the middle if required. None is a traditional penalty-box striker, but all bring pace, movement and unpredictability.
Fermín López and Dani Olmo have also been used as false nines, offering a more fluid, positional-interchange approach. The only orthodox centre-forward to feature with the squad in preseason, though, was 18-year-old Egypt international Hamza Abdelkarim, a reminder of how thin the depth chart looks in that specific role.
Targets blocked, prices soaring
Barcelona’s search has already hit several dead ends.
Earlier in the summer, the club explored moves for João Pedro and Junior Kroupi. Those doors closed quickly: João Pedro signed a new contract with Chelsea, while the Bournemouth striker has been ruled out for up to four months with a foot injury.
As the window has ticked on, Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martínez and Sporting CP’s Luis Suárez have both been floated as potential solutions. On paper, both fit the brief. On the balance sheet, they don’t. The fees involved are currently viewed inside Barça as out of reach.
One source also revealed that Barcelona have tracked Benjamin Sesko for years. Even so, prising the attacker away from Manchester United at this stage is considered “impossible”.
So the net widens.
Villarreal duo Ayoze Pérez and Georges Mikautadze have entered the conversation, with club staff said to be particularly impressed by Mikautadze’s data and performances since his arrival in Spain.
The clock is ticking, the list is long, and the ideal No.9 remains elusive. Barcelona know they cannot manufacture a world-class striker out of thin air. The question now is blunt: do they bend their plans to the market, or trust Flick to mould a title-winning attack without the pure finisher he keeps asking for?
