Barcelona add Sporting CP's 33-goal Suárez to striker shortlist as Álvarez pursuit stalls

Barcelona have broadened their striker search by adding Sporting CP’s Luis Suárez to their shortlist, with Atlético Madrid showing no sign of releasing Julián Álvarez despite a $116 million offer remaining on the table. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blaugrana could make a formal approach for Suárez as early as next week.

The urgency is driven by a thinning attack at Camp Nou. Robert Lewandowski has already departed, and Ferran Torres — the World Cup final match winner — is set to join Paris Saint-Germain in a $57.5 million deal. That leaves Hansi Flick with Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and teenager Hamza Abdelkarim as his primary centre-forward options, making fresh reinforcement a near-certainty regardless of how the Álvarez situation resolves.

Álvarez himself publicly expressed his desire to join Barcelona during the World Cup group stage, urging Atlético to accept the offer. He has since returned to preseason training at Atlético but was left out of the club’s final pre-season outing before the La Liga campaign. Social media reports have suggested he may make one further appeal to Atlético CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, though no meeting has been arranged.

Suárez, 28, enjoyed the most prolific season of his career at Sporting CP in 2025-26, scoring 33 goals in all competitions — including 28 in the Primeira Liga — after stepping in to replace Viktor Gyökeres in Lisbon. Sporting have made clear that any interested club must trigger his €80 million ($92.7 million) release clause.

His record in Europe’s top five leagues, however, offers a more cautious picture. Across spells at Granada, Marseille and Almería, the Colombian managed 26 goals in 107 La Liga and Ligue 1 appearances. He also failed to score in five World Cup appearances for Colombia, a contrast that Barcelona’s recruitment staff will need to weigh against his outstanding Portuguese campaign.

With Torres’ exit imminent and Atlético unmoved over Álvarez, Barcelona appear set to pivot. Whether Suárez’s Primeira Liga form translates to La Liga remains the central question as the club looks to finalise its attacking options before the season gets under way.