Barcelona quoted €70m to sign leading Julian Alvarez alternative | OneFootball

In the last 24 hours, it has been reported that Barcelona are no longer pursuing the signing of Julian Alvarez this summer, having grown frustrated at the lack of progress made towards a deal with Atletico Madrid. The Catalans still intend to sign at least one new striker, although time is running out, with less than two weeks to go until the transfer window closes.

For a while, Barcelona have understood that signing Alvarez would be extremely difficult, which is why sporting director Deco has been looking into alternatives. At present, the favoured option is Georges Mikautadze, although getting the Georgia international out of fellow La Liga side Villarreal will be easier said than done.

According to El Chiringuito, Villarreal are unwilling to sell Mikautadze at this late stage of the summer, and thus, they are asking for €70m. Although this is far below the amount that Barcelona were prepared to pay for Alvarez, they may not be keen to spend that much on a player that is not as proven at the highest level.

Mikautadze alternative is much more affordable

Barcelona have two other players alongside Mikautadze that are currently being seriously considered. The first of those is Villarreal teammate Ayoze Perez, who could be a stop-gap option ahead of another move being made for Alvarez next summer – in that case, the veteran Spain international can be signed for as little as €10-15m.

The final player under consideration at Can Barca is Lautaro Martinez, who would be the most recognised candidate of the three mentioned. However, he would also be the most expensive – Inter Milan would likely demand a fee in excess of €100m, and even then, there is no guarantee that a deal would be possible, given the importance that Alvarez’s Argentina teammate holds at the Serie A giants.