FC Barcelona — Barcelona’s Plan B for Julián Álvarez With Julián Álvarez practically out of Barcelona’s reach due to Atlético Madrid’s firm stance, the club’s sporting department is already exploring other options to strengthen a forward line that will have to deal with Robert Lewandowski’s generational replacement. Barcelona still considers Julián Álvarez its top target to reinforce the attack, but the difficulty of securing his departure from Atlético Madrid has led the club to explore alternatives. Lewandowski and Ferran say goodbye Robert Lewandowski left FC Barcelona to join Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer. Meanwhile, Ferran Torres, scorer of the goal that decided the World Cup final, recently confirmed his move to PSG. Both departures have left Barcelona seriously short of options in attack. No natural strikers Barcelona’s current squad has no pure center-forward. Its attacking line consists of Anthony Gordon, Raphinha, Jesse Bisiwu, Lamine Yamal, Karim Adeyemi and Roony Bardghji. All of them are profiles closer to wingers than to a traditional No. 9. Atlético Madrid rejects Julián AS has confirmed that Atlético Madrid considers Julián Álvarez a key part of its project and has no intention of facilitating his departure. Nicolò Tresoldi | Market value: €25 million Barcelona still considers Julián Álvarez its top target to reinforce the attack, but the difficulty of securing his departure from Atlético Madrid has led the club to explore alternatives. Among them, Nicolò Tresoldi is emerging as a strong option. The young Club Brugge striker fits the profile sought by Barcelona’s sporting department thanks to his potential, goalscoring ability and room for development, although signing him would also be far from straightforward due to strong competition for his signature and the price demanded by the Belgian club. Lautaro Martínez | Market value: €85 million Lautaro Martínez remains one of the most highly regarded strikers in European football, and his departure from Inter Milan looks extremely difficult. The Argentine remains a key player for both the Nerazzurri and the Argentina national team, where he continues to play a decisive role. Evangelos Pavlidis | Market value: €28 million Pavlidis enjoyed an outstanding season, reaching the 30-goal mark. However, his numbers should be put into context given that they came in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, a competition with a lower level of competitiveness than Europe’s major leagues. Georges Mikautadze | Market value: €30 million Mikautadze remains among the forwards with the greatest potential on the market. His ability to operate across the entire attacking line and his versatility fit Deco’s preferences, although he scored just 16 goals for Villarreal last season. Luis Suárez | Market value: €30 million According to recent reports, Barcelona will not trigger Colombian striker Luis Suárez’s €80 million release clause, considering the amount too high. Sporting are also unwilling to lower their financial demands and are confident they can keep the forward. Mikel Oyarzabal | Market value: €25 million The Spain international has been linked with Barcelona as a potential attacking reinforcement, although this would probably be one of the most difficult deals to complete. Oyarzabal remains a key player and captain of Real Sociedad. Last season, he scored 18 goals for the Basque club and 14 for Spain, but his departure looks extremely unlikely given his strong ties to Real Sociedad. Junior Kroupi | Market value: €70 million Kroupi, a 20-year-old French striker, has a long-term contract with Bournemouth. After breaking out in France and continuing to develop, he attracted the attention of several major European clubs. However, reports linking him with Barcelona have cooled due to the high price set by the English club, which is reportedly around €100 million. Viktor Gyökeres | Market value: €65 million Gyökeres has established himself as one of the most sought-after forwards in European football. The Swedish striker combines goalscoring, physical presence and the ability to lead a sporting project—qualities that fit Barcelona’s ideal attacking profile perfectly. However, the financial demands of the deal make his signing a very complicated alternative.   submitted by   /u/IndividualPleasant23 [link]   [comments]