Barcelona Eyes Chelsea Forward as Álvarez Alternative

Barcelona's sporting director, Deco, has identified Chelsea forward João Pedro as one of the most desirable offensive reinforcements, according to Spanish newspaper “AS”. The striker was brought to Stamford Bridge just a year ago for a fee of 64 million euros and has since made a strong impression with his performances. To date, he has scored 19 goals and provided 9 assists in 46 appearances for the London club. Deco has reportedly been impressed by his efficiency and versatility. Pedro has also won over people at Barcelona with his humility, which is seen as an excellent quality that would help him easily integrate into the Catalan dressing room. It remains unclear what price Chelsea would place on the player.

At Camp Nou, Julián Álvarez remains the preferred primary option for the team's attack, but even Barcelona acknowledges that such a transfer would be extremely difficult to secure. The Argentine striker for Atlético Madrid has attracted the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs and has been linked not only with the Catalans but also with Arsenal and PSG. It is believed that the Madrid club would demand around 100 million euros for his services. Furthermore, Atlético's new American owners are reportedly unwilling to begin their first summer at the club with such a high-profile departure, which would immediately cast doubt on their ambitions for improvement.