Less than 24 hours later…another painful blow for Barcelona

Barcelona sporting director Deco has been dealt a second blow less than 24 hours after Chelsea announced that Brazilian striker Joao Pedro will not leave, refusing to listen to any offers in the current summer transfer window.

Sources at Stamford Bridge have confirmed, according to Catalan newspaper Sport, that the English club have high hopes for the Brazilian, seeing him as an essential element of the new project under manager Xabi Alonso, which means permanently shutting the door on Barca’s ambitions.

The strike comes hours after Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin announced last Friday that Argentina striker Julian Alvarez was not transferable, apparently rejecting Barcelona’s attempts to sign him.

Joao Pedro joined Chelsea in July 2025 after the English club paid Brighton €50m to sign him, and his remarkable development since then has reinforced the confidence of the London administration that he is a striker capable of making a difference for many years to come.

Xabi Alonso has absolute confidence in the Brazilian, seeing him as a complete striker due to his versatility, constant movement and ability to adapt to different attacking positions, which perfectly suit the style of play Alonso wants to employ at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s decision represents a new setback for Barcelona’s sporting administration, which now sees its options to strengthen its attacking line worryingly reduced, especially after two big names topped the summer goalscoring list.

Deco will have to continue to search the market for alternatives that could become successful deals this summer, at a time when there are only a few names left who could fit the plans of technical director Hans Flick.

The situation at the Camp Nou is getting more complicated after Barcelona decided not to extend the contract of Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, in addition to the possibility of Spain’s Ferran Torres leaving for Paris Saint-Germain in the final year of the Valencia striker’s contract.

These developments present Deco with the real challenge of finding urgent solutions to the attacking crisis before the summer transfer window closes, at a time when the options available to the Catalan club are dwindling.