Barcelona's Julian Alvarez Pursuit Nears Collapse

Barcelona’s pursuit of Julian Alvarez is on the brink of collapse, just days before they launch their new La Liga campaign.

The Catalan club open against Elche on Sunday and, remarkably, head into the week without a recognised centre-forward in the squad. All summer, the plan has been clear: bring in Alvarez from Atletico Madrid and build the attack around him.

Atletico have not budged.

They have insisted throughout the window that Alvarez is not for sale, and that stance has not softened as kick-off approaches. According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona will make one final push to change Atletico’s mind. If that fails, they are prepared to walk away.

The clock is ticking. The report claims Barcelona have set a hard deadline of the next two or three days to close a deal. If Alvarez is not in the door by then, the club will pivot to an alternative.

That alternative is still wrapped in speculation. Dozens of names have been floated in recent weeks as the search for a striker has dragged on. The latest to surface is Ayoze Perez, who has reportedly joined the list of potential options under consideration.

The Alvarez chase has dominated Barcelona’s summer, overshadowing almost everything else. Now, with the season about to start and no No. 9 in sight, the saga is finally reaching its breaking point.

One last offer. A looming deadline. And a club that may have to rip up its attacking plan on the eve of the new campaign.