Barcelona Shifts Focus to Viktor Gyokeres as Julian Alvarez Deal Stalls
Barcelona’s hunt for a new No. 9 is edging into crunch time, and the focus is starting to drift away from Julian Alvarez and towards Viktor Gyokeres.
With talks over Alvarez stuck in neutral, Jose Alvarez Haya reports that movement is expected in the coming hours on Gyokeres, with Barça ready to probe the Arsenal striker’s situation. The Swede has quickly moved from background name to genuine alternative after Ferran Torres’ exit left the forward line even thinner.
For now, Alvarez remains the dream. The reality is far messier.
Atletico’s hard line forces Barcelona to look elsewhere
Barcelona’s plan all summer has been clear: bring in Julian Alvarez to lead the line. The Argentine has been at the top of their list, and every step of their search has revolved around whether a deal for him could be unlocked.
Atletico Madrid have slammed that door shut.
The Rojiblancos are refusing to even sit at the table with Barcelona over their star forward, holding a firm position that has turned into a major roadblock for the Catalans as the window ticks down. No talks, no negotiation, no opening.
That stance has forced Barça to widen the net. Lautaro Martinez’s name surfaced, as did Sporting Lisbon’s Luis Suarez, but those whispers faded almost as quickly as they appeared. Neither option has gathered serious momentum.
Now Gyokeres is the one under the spotlight.
According to El Chiringuito’s Jose Alvarez Haya, Barcelona are preparing to move and assess the Arsenal striker’s availability and conditions. It is not yet a formal bid, not a full pivot away from Alvarez, but it is a clear sign of a club bracing for the possibility that Atletico’s position will not budge.
Barcelona are effectively running two tracks: keep the Alvarez dream alive, and quietly line up a Plan B before the market slams shut.
Gyokeres: big fee, mixed first year, lingering questions
Gyokeres arrived at Arsenal last summer with serious expectations on his shoulders. The Premier League club paid around €70 million to bring him in from Sporting Lisbon after he tore through defences in Portugal and established himself as one of Europe’s most prolific centre-forwards.
England has been a different story.
He ended the 2025-26 season with 21 goals in all competitions for Arsenal. On paper, that is a solid return. For a first year in a new league, many strikers would happily take it.
The comparison with his Sporting Lisbon form, though, has been unavoidable. In Portugal, Gyokeres dominated, piling up goals and looking unstoppable for long stretches. At Arsenal, that aura dipped. He struggled to hit the same relentless rhythm, and there were spells when he was no longer an automatic starter.
Those patches of inconsistency have raised questions. Is he the ruthless finisher Barça need to spearhead a new project, or a talented forward still searching for the right stage and system?
Barcelona now have to decide how much they believe in the version of Gyokeres that terrorised defences in Lisbon, and how much they worry about the one still finding his feet in North London.
Time is running out. Atletico Madrid are not blinking. If Barcelona want a striker through the door before the window closes, how long can they afford to wait on Alvarez before Gyokeres becomes more than just an alternative?
