Blocked by Atlético, Barcelona turns to Arsenal's Gyökeres as Plan B

FC Barcelona has still failed to recruit Julian Alvarez, and the deal remains stalled on Atlético Madrid’s side. According to Marca, the Blaugrana have now ticked the name of Viktor Gyökeres, Swedish striker from Arsenal, as a new backup option.

The 26-year-old Argentine publicly expressed his desire to join Catalonia after Argentina’s victory over Austria (2-0) in the second match of the 2026 World Cup. Since then, radio silence: still on holiday, he has not featured in any of Atlético’s four warm-up matches since July 29. A situation that frustrates Barcelona, already weakened by Robert Lewandowski’s departure to Chicago Fire in MLS.

Barcelona’s board believes it is up to Alvarez to force his club’s hand by requesting the transfer himself. A meeting between the player and Gil Marin, Atlético’s president, is scheduled for this week to try to unblock negotiations.

If that fails, Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco have several alternatives on hand: Luis Suarez (Sporting Portugal), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) and Georges Mikautadze (Villarreal). However, Gyökeres is the newcomer to this list. The Swedish striker scored 21 goals and provided 3 assists in 55 appearances for Arsenal last season. Arsenal would not consider him untouchable and could accept a satisfactory offer.

Gyökeres’ profile, however, contrasts sharply with Alvarez’s: while the Argentine excels in pressing and playing between the lines, the Swede is primarily a powerful, direct centre-forward. A stylistic contrast that raises questions about the style of play Flick intends to develop at Camp Nou.