Barcelona Eyes Club Brugge's Nicolo Tresoldi After Álvarez Collapse

FC Barcelona’s search for a new centre-forward has taken a sharp turn toward Belgium, with Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi now firmly on the radar of the Catalan hierarchy.

Journalist Victor Navarro of COPE reports that the German U21 international is “very, very much liked” inside the club, where his name has moved onto the shortlist for the No. 9 role.

The shift comes in the wake of a definitive dead end. Barcelona’s pursuit of Atletico Madrid forward Julian Álvarez has collapsed, with Atletico CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín closing the door on any deal. With that avenue blocked, Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco have wasted little time, accelerating work on alternative options through the middle.

Lautaro Martínez of Inter Milan has emerged as the preferred choice and the player around whom there is broad consensus at the club. The La Liga champions are ready to push hard for the Argentina international.

But they know they need more than one plan.

Inside the corridors of power at Barça, Tresoldi’s name keeps coming up. At 21, the Club Brugge striker is viewed as one of the most intriguing alternatives: young, prolific, and already hardened by responsibility at a title-chasing club.

A breakout star in Belgium

Tresoldi first surfaced at senior level with Hannover 96, but it is his move to Belgium that has turned him from prospect into headline act.

Since joining Club Brugge in the summer of 2025, his rise has been rapid. In his debut 2025/26 season, he played a decisive role in delivering the Belgian Pro League title to Jan Breydel Stadium, finishing the campaign with 23 goals and 9 assists in all competitions. Those numbers did not just pad out a stat sheet; they underpinned a championship run and announced him to the rest of Europe.

He has not eased off.

The 2026/27 season has started in the same vein. Tresoldi has already opened his account with three goals in three games, underlining his reputation as one of the most lethal young finishers on the continent. For a Barcelona side intent on refreshing its attack with both goals and long-term upside, that kind of profile is hard to ignore.

The price of potential

There is, however, a hard edge to the story: Tresoldi will not come cheap.

He only arrived at Brugge last summer and is tied to a long-term contract running until 2039. That deal gives the Belgian champions total control over his immediate future and ensures that any club knocking on the door will have to do so with a serious offer.

Club Brugge are already showing their stance. They are demanding a fee in excess of €40 million for the Germany U21 international and have turned down a substantial bid from AS Roma earlier in the window.

For Barcelona, that is the calculation now. Lautaro Martínez remains the big swing, the marquee move. Tresoldi is the emerging alternative: younger, less proven at the very top, but already carrying the numbers and the temperament that attract elite clubs.

If Barça decide to pivot fully toward Belgium’s new star, they will know one thing for sure — prising him out of Brugge will be as much of a battle as any they face on the pitch this season.