Barcelona's Chase for Julian Alvarez Nears Deadline

Barcelona’s long chase for Julian Alvarez is running out of road.

With the new La Liga season about to begin and Elche looming on Sunday, the Catalan club are staring at a brutal reality: they are set to kick off without a recognised striker in the squad.

All summer, Alvarez has been the chosen one. The priority. The plan. But Atletico Madrid have not budged. The message from the capital has stayed the same – he is not for sale.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona will make one last push in the coming days. One more attempt to break Atletico’s resistance. If that fails, they will walk away.

The club have reportedly set a firm deadline of “the next two or three days” to get a deal done. If Alvarez is not in a Barcelona shirt by then, they will turn to an alternative.

And that is where the chaos begins.

Dozens of names have already been thrown into the mix as possible back-up options. The rumour mill has barely paused for breath and now Ayoze Perez is being touted as the latest striker under consideration.

The Alvarez saga has dominated Barcelona’s summer and shaped their planning. Now, with the season about to start and time almost up, the question is no longer how badly they want him.

It is whether they dare wait any longer.