Barcelona resign themselves to missing out on their top transfer target | OneFootball

With the 2026-27 season set to start in only around two weeks for FC Barcelona, time is running short for them to fill in the weak areas of their team. The most notable of these areas is that of the attack, where the center-forward position needs immediate attention.

Robert Lewandowski left at the end of the last season and Ferran Torres is being linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain. The Blaugranes understand that they need to address this area, and they have had a clear favorite to replace the Pole in their team, i.e., the Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez.

The Catalans have been trying throughout the summer to land him, but their efforts have not borne any fruit so far. They have seen a €100 million offer rejected by the Colchonero club, and the Mattress Makers have remained steadfast in their position of not negotiating for the Argentine’s sale, despite the player’s own public comments asking for a transfer during the World Cup.

Barcelona understand that only Alvarez himself can force Atletico into agreeing to his sale, and their sporting director Deco, recently travelled to Madrid to meet with his agent and devise a joint strategy for his signing. Recent reports suggested that the forward was now planning to talk with Diego Simeone to find a way out of the club.

However, the journalist Matteo Moretto, while talking in a program by MARCA, revealed that Barcelona have already given up on their hopes of landing the Argentine star, as they understand that he will continue with his current club, and play for Atletico Madrid going into the next season.

There are still some days left in the transfer market, and things can change quickly in football. Thus, this saga can take another turn in the coming days. However, with time not on their side, and the impasse looking hard to break, Barcelona might have to turn their attentions to other targets to get their desired center-forward.