FC Barcelona have reportedly decided to turn their attention away from Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez for the time being, as the Catalan club feel that his transfer would be too difficult this summer. However, other options are not expected to be easy to come to fruition.

It was reported on Thursday that Chelsea FC striker Joao Pedro has become Barcelona’s number one priority and that sporting director Deco has already started talks for the Brazilian. He is considered a different profile than Alvarez, but Barcelona believe that he can offer the team a lot of quality and, above all, it would cost less.

Catalan media claim that Barcelona believes that they can reach an agreement for around 70 million euros, but according to “MD”, Chelsea does not want to sell the player for such an amount. The London club are said to be demanding close to €100m for the Brazilian, who they consider one of the team’s most important players.

Joao Pedro moved to Stamford Bridge just last summer for €63.7m, so it’s no surprise that Chelsea aim to get more out of the sale of the 24-year-old, who has a contract until 2033.

An important factor will be the qualification of Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League for the next season. If the Londoners remain out of Europe’s biggest competition, this could increase the need to sell players to balance the finances and at the same time give Joao Pedro more reasons to ask for a departure.

Another problem for Barcelona could be the fact that earlier it was reported that the Catalans were willing to go up to 100 million euros for Julian Alvarez. This means that Chelsea know that Barcelona can offer more than the 70 million they are currently trying to pay.

While there is no doubt that Barcelona need a classic striker next season, paying €100m for Joao Pedro – who has just finished his first season in the Champions League and has only eight caps for the Brazilian national team – seems too big an investment.

Source: prizrenpost