Barcelona fear Xabi Alonso will block move for striker target | OneFootball

As things stand, Barcelona are prioritising the signing of a new striker above all else going into the summer transfer window. Julian Alvarez has been their leading target, but with the expectation being that a deal for the Atletico Madrid man will be impossible, they have pivoted to Joao Pedro.

Barcelona’s interest in Pedro first became known in April, when it started to become clear to those within Can Barca that Alvarez was slipping out of reach. The Catalans have good reports of the Chelsea forward, and recently, sporting director Deco flew to London to hold talks with his representatives.

The problem for Barcelona is that a deal for Pedro could be as tricky as one for Alvarez. Chelsea are prepared to demand as much as €100m in order to give the green light to sale, but it could b3 blocked altogether by the Premier League side’s new manager, a certain Xabi Alonso.

Over the weekend, Chelsea confirmed Alonso would be taking over as manager from the summer, and according to Sport, he will have the final say regarding whether Pedro can be allowed to leave. Barcelona are fearing his stance, as they believe the former Real Madrid head coach will block any chance of a deal being done.

Barcelona are running out of striker targets

The now-confirmed departure of Robert Lewandowski, who will leave Barcelona in the summer when his contract expires, means that a new striker must be secured this summer. Alvarez and Pedro are currently the two most-liked candidates, but if it becomes clear that neither can realistically be brought in, it’ll be back to the drawing board for Deco and co.

It will be interesting to see who Barcelona end up going for as their Lewandowski replacement, but whoever comes in will certainly have big boots to fill.